{ CANADA CANADA

Canada is the second largest country in the world. Its area is almost 10 million km2. Canada is situated in North America. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Baffin Bay and the Davis Straight. It borders on the USA in the south and in the north. Canada is an independent federative state. It is one of the most developed countries.

The population of the country is about 31 million people, 80 per cent of which live in towns and cities in the southern areas. There are two official languages in Canada: English and French. Nearly 60 percent of the population speak English and 27 percent speak French. The rest speaks other languages, such as Eskimo, Indian, German, Ukrainian and Italian.

The capital of Canada is Ottawa, which is situated on the bank of the Ottawa River. It is famous for its beautiful parks. It is also known as the city of bridges. Canada's people live in cities or towns. Toronto and Montreal are the largest urban areas

Canadas flora is very diverse. There are broad-leaved, mixed and coniferous forests in Canada. In the north of the country there is tundra which is followed by arctic desert. Canada is inhabited by different animals. There are reindeer, lemmings, musk-oxen in Canada. In the south fauna is more varied. There are plenty of fishes in natural reservoirs of the country.

The school system of Canada is very much like the one in the USA, but there are certain differences. Education in Canada is general and compulsory for children from 6 to 16 years old, and in some provinces to 14. It is within the competence of the local authorities, and therefore it may differ from province to province. For example, Newfoundland has an 11-grade system. Some other provinces have 12-grade systems, and Ontario has even a 13-grade system. Grades 16 are usually elementary schools, and grades 712 are secondary schools.

Canada is a federation of 10 provinces and 2 territories and is governed as parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.. Canada is an independent nation. But according to the Constitution Act of 1982 British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is recognized as Queen of Canada. This symbolizes the country's strong ties to Britain. 80 % of Quebec's population are French Canadians. Many of them believe that their province should recived a special recognition in the Canadian constitution. Canada is a founding member of the United Nations. It has been active in a number of major UN agencies

Flag of Canada On the flag of Canada: Three vertical bands: white in the middle twice as wide as the red ones on the edges Red maple leaf in the center of the flag on a white strip