Land area: 3,511,003 sq mi (9,093,507 sq km); total area: 3,855,102 sq mi (9,984,670 sq km)

Population (2006): 33,098,932 (growth rate: 0.9%); birth rate: 10.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.7/1000; life expectancy: 80.2; density per sq mi: 9

Capital City: Ottawa, Ontario

Monetary unit: Canadian dollar

Languages: English 59.3%, French 23.2% (both official); other 17.5%

Ethnicity/race: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, indigenous Indian and Inuit 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%

Religions: Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 36%, other 18% (based on 1991 census)

Canada is a land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border.

Canada has breathtaking sceneries, from the rugged eastern and maritime coastlines of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to the exuberance and the splender of the French Canadian cities of Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa. Toronto is also home to Niagara Falls, a spectacle of wonder.

Canada has a very large and diverse range of geographic features. It is divided into 10 provinces and 2 territories. Canada stretches from the Pacific Ocean on the west, to the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Northern Canada reaches into the Arctic Circle, while southern Canada stretches below the northern points of the United States.

Due to its colonial past, Canadian culture has historically been heavily influenced by English, French, Irish and Scottish cultures and traditions. In more modern times, Canadian culture is now greatly influenced by American culture, due to the proximity and the migration of people, ideas, and capital.

Many American movies, authors, TV shows and musicians are equally popular in Canada (and vice versa), many have been successful worldwide. Most cultural products of these types are now increasingly marketed toward a unified "North American" market, and not specifically a Canadian or American one.

Many Canadian citizens see Canadian culture as based on the policy of multiculturalism, while others see it as based on a predominantly British and French core, with American and new immigrant influences and modifications.

Canadian architecture adheres in the main to European and American trends, especially in the planning of public buildings. From the 18th to the 20th century, French Renaissance, English Georgian, Neoclassical, and Gothic revival designs were successively dominant. A notable example of Gothic revival is found in the buildings of Parliament Hill, Ottawa (begun 1859), by Thomas Fuller and others. The Canadian Centre for Architecture (Montreal), a modern archive and research center created by Phyllis Lambert, opened in 1989.

Major modern buildings include the Electrical Building and Civic Auditorium, and the Shakespeare Festival Theatre. Church and domestic architecture in Canada have consistently shown originality.

The majority of Canada is still wilderness. This makes Canada a popular spot for hunting and fishing. Niagara Falls is one of Canada's best known tourist attractions. It is the largest falls in the world, measured in volume of water.