On July 1, 1867, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia formed a confederation. The British North America Act (BNA) officially declared Canada a country. We celebrate Canada's national day on July 1st as Canada Day. In 1965, we adopted the red and white flag with the maple leaf as our official flag.
Canada is the second largest country in the world with 10 million square kilometers of landmass. The country has a population of approximately 30 million people -- only one-tenth the population of the United States. Three oceans border our vast country: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic. Due to Canada's size, it is made up of many different geographical areas and regions. We divide these into the following: the Atlantic Region, Central Canada, the Prairie Provinces, the West Coast and the North. Politically we have divided the country into 10 provinces and 3 territories, each possessing its own capital. The national capital of Canada is Ottawa.
Canada is one the leading G-7 Nations. It is a highly developed country with excellent working conditions, an outstanding education system, a very high standard of living, and a health care system ranked one of the best in the world.
Canada is a country composed of immigrants from practically every country in the world. Canada's success is largely due to the contributions made by these immigrants. Each year, Canada welcomes more than 200,000 new immigrants. The diversified backgrounds and cultures are what make Canada unique. Multiculturalism is promoted by both the federal and provincial governments to help maintain this unique "melting pot".
Regardless of where you came from, once you are a landed immigrant (permanent resident), you have all the rights of a Canadian citizen. These rights are protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Should you wish to become a citizen, you can do so after you have lived in Canada for three years. As a Canadian citizen, you can apply for a Canadian passport and you are eligible to vote. |
