Canada
- is situated in the Northern Hemisphere, northern part of North America.
-Canada borders (on) the USA in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean
in the west and the Arctic Ocean in the north
- size: 9,984,670 km2 the world´s second largest country after Russia
- capital city: Ottawa
- official languages: English (most inhabitants) and French
- the population is about 37,602,000 people
- it’s constitutional monarchy, head: the Queen, represented by the Governor General;
parliamentary democracy
-Provinces (10): Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick,
NewFoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan
-Territories (3): NW Territories, Nunavut, Yukon
- flag: is also known as the Maple Leaf
– a red flag with a white square in its centre – a stylized 11-pointed red maple leaf
-the colors are meant to symbolize hope and prosperity, as well as peace and neutrality
- the maple leaf design represents the cultural heritage of the nation and the natural
resources of Canada)
GEOGRAPHY
- West of the country is mainly mountainous (the Rockies, the McKenzie Mountains, the St.
Elias Mountains, the Coast Mountains);
-highest peak: Mount Logan (5,959 m in the St. Elias Mountains)
- central parts, north and east – mainly flat
- most surface in central and western parts is covered with forest(s) – maples common,
typical features also include the prairie (a flat area without many trees) and the tundra
Rivers:
- The Mackenzie (4,241 km) … → the Beaufort Sea
- The Yukon (3,185 km) … → the Pacific Ocean (via Alaska)
- The St. Lawrence 3,058 km) including the Great Lakes… → the Atlantic Ocean
Lakes: more than 31,700 lakes in total
- the Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Erie, Michigan, Ontario
- Great Bear Lake
- Great Slave Lake
- Lake Winnipeg
HISTORY
- 1583 - first English colony (Newfoundland)
- 1600 (cca.) - first French settlements around the St Lawrence River (1608 – Quebec) → a
lot of tension between the French and the English → the Seven Years´ War (1756 – 1763):
the French lost
- 1867 - the Constitution Act created a federal dominion
- dominion of Canada = originally a federation of four provinces – Ontario, Quebec, Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick 1931 – Statute of Westminster (act of British Parliament which
made former British colonies legislatively independent)
- 1982 – the Canada Act (act of British Parliament which enabled Canadian Parliament to add
amendments to its constitution* without previous consent (=předchozí souhlas) of British
Parliament) * Canada´s constitution is a combination of documents and tradition (which is
something between the US and Britain)
PLACES OF INTEREST
- Torronto is the largest city – University of Torronto – Josef Škvorecký used to teach
American literatury there
- Montreal, Notre Dame Basilica
- City of Quebec – a historic city, the centre of the French speaking community the only city
in North America surrounded by fortifications, the Chateau Frontenac was originally the site
was the residence of British governors, now it is the most photographed hotel in the world
- Ottawa – capital city, on the Ottawa River, seat of Parliament
- Vancouver – an important city on the west coast named after Captain George Vancouver,
English navigator • an important port and industrial and business centre
- Niagara Falls (= three waterfalls on the border with the US, located on the Niagara River)
- Banff /bænf/ National Park (Canada´s oldest national park in the Rocky Mountains
SPORTS AND CULTURE
-
-the 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver
