Canada. Mineral resources of Canada

Physical characteristic

Canada takes the second place after Russia for the area; it occupies 9985 thousand km². Canada stretches from the north to the south to 4600 km; from the west to the east to 5100 km. It extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean.

Boreal forests prevail on the rocky Canadian Shield, while ice and tundra are prominent in the Arctic. Glaciers are visible in the Canadian Rockies and Coast Mountains. The flat and fertile prairies facilitate agriculture. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River in the southeast, where lowlands host much of Canada's population.

Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary from region to region. Winters can be harsh in many parts of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces, which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near −15 °C, but can drop below −40 °C with severe wind chills. In noncoastal regions, snow can cover the ground for almost six months of the year, while in parts of the north snow can persist year-round. Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. On the east and west coasts, average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C, while between the coasts, the average summer high temperature ranges from 25 to 30 °C.

Political system

Canada is an independent, sovereign state. Legislative power is exercised by the Parliament, which consists of assigned Senate and elected House of Commons. Government is the executive power which (like in Great Britain) is formed by the party leader received majority of seats in the House of Commons.

Canada is a member of the Commonwealth led by Great Britain. The head of government is queen (king) of Great Britain, who in Canada is represented by the governor-general (surely native of Canada), elected by queen by the prime minister’s advice for the period up to 5 years.

As a federation Canada is made up of 10 provinces and three territories: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador; Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut.

Population of Canada is about 35 million people. National structure of the Canada population is characterized as a complex and simple at the same time. It is complex because there are more than 100 ethnic groups that speak in tenths different languages. They are: English, French, Chinese, Italian, German, Polish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Dutch and Greek languages. It is simple because more than 3% of the population doesn’t speak in some of them. So, all languages except English and French are called “languages of the national minority”. Really, Canada is a binational country; the national structure is defined by two nations – English Canadians and French Canadians.Ottawa is the capital of Canada.