| The word 'Canada'
derives from the Huron-Iroquois word 'Kanata', which means village or
settlement. Canada is the world's second largest country and has a
population of over 30 million people. There are ten provinces and three
territories: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario,
Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland -
Labrador, and the Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut territories. The capital
city, Ottawa, is located in Ontario. We have two official languages -
English and French.
Canada is a
constitutional monarchy and a federal state with a democratic system of
government. The head of our federal government is the Prime Minister and
the provincial leaders are called Premiers. Canada and the United States
share the world's longest undefended border. The two countries share
much common heritage, but are very different in many ways. The US began
as a British colony and through war it became a separate nation, while
Canada has developed through constitutional evolution.
Although the
maple leaf has been a Canadian symbol used in coat of arms and military
insignia since the late 1800's, it wasn't until the introduction of the
flag pictured above, in 1965, that it became the country's most popular
national symbol. 'O Canada' was composed in 1880, and translated to
English in 1906. However, it wasn't until July 1st, 1980, that it was
officially proclaimed our national anthem. Our national sports are
lacrosse and, of course, hockey.
For more
information on Canada, please go to the Canada
Site.
This site has a wealth of Canadian facts, as well as an interactive zone
with info for teachers and students, quizzes, virtual tours,
multi-media, and a kid's zone. For Canadians the site has information on
how to contact members of parliament, government forms, postal codes,
national and provincial parks, museums, and much, much more. |