首都: Ottawa
人口: 29,463,000
介绍: English andFrench are the two official languages. English is the mother tongue ofapproximately 13 million Canadians, French of approximately 7 million. Nearly 6million of the 7 million French speakers live in the province of Quebec, wherethey outnumber speakers of English by eight to one. Many Canadians arebilingual, speaking both English and French with equal, or nearly equal,facility.
Some 3 million Canadians claim anotherlanguage as their mother tongue. According to the 1971 census, German is themother tongue of 475,000 people, Italian of 512,000, Ukrainian of 195,000,Dutch of 140,000, and Polish of 195,000. Others include Chinese (492,000),Portuguese (210,000), Hungarian (85,000), Serbo-Croatian (75,000), and Yiddish(50,000).
Many Indian languages are also spoken inCanada. The two most important are Cree (85,000 speakers) and Ojibwa, orChippewa (25000), both spoken in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Micmac isspoken by about 6,000 people, mainly in Nova Scotia, Naskapi by about the samenumber in northern Quebec. Mohawk has about 400 speakers in Ontario and Quebec.Chipewyan is spoken by about 3,000 people in northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan,and Alberta; Assiniboin by about 1,000 people in Saskatchewan and Alberta. InAlberta there is also Blackfoot, with about 4000 speakers. British Columbia hasa large number of Indian languages, most with fewer than 1,000 speakers.Okanagan is spoken along the river of the same name, Lilboet, Shuswap,Thompson, and Carrier along the Fraser River, Chilcotin along the ChilcotinRiver, and Tsimshian along the Skeena and Nass rivers. Nootka is spoken onVancouver Island, Kwakiutl on northern Vancouver and the adjacent mainlandfacing Hecate Strait, and Haida on the Queen Charlotte Islands. In the farnorth there are about 25,000 speakers of Eskimo.
Geography
Location:Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and North PacificOcean, north of the conterminous US
Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 95 00 W
Map references: North America
Area:
total:9,976,140 sq km
land: 9,220,970sq km
water:755,170 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than US
Land boundaries:
total: 8,893km
border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline:243,791 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate:varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Terrain:mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Logan 5,950 m
Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish,timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:5%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures : 3%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 38%(1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 7,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle todevelopment; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of themixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, andproduce most of the country‘s rain and snow
Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes anddamaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissionsimpacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becomingcontaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
Environment - international agreements:
party to:Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, EndangeredSpecies, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, NuclearTest Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, TropicalTimber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic locationbetween Russia and US via north polar route; nearly 90% of the population isconcentrated within 161 km of the US/Canada border
People
Population:30,337,334 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:20% (male 3,101,968; female 2,957,927)
15-64 years:68% (male 10,333,085; female 10,201,996)
65 years and over: 12% (male 1,583,643; female 2,158,715) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.13% (1997 est.)
Birth rate:12.4 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate:7.23 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population : 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.96 years
male: 75.61years
female:82.48 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun:Canadian(s)
adjective:Canadian
Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other European 20%,Amerindian 1.5%, other, mostly Asian 11.5%
Religions:Roman Catholic 45%, United Church 12%, Anglican 8%, other 35% (1991)
Languages:English (official), French (official)
Literacy:
definition:age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97% (1986 est.)
male : NA%
female: NA%
Government
Country name:
conventional long form : none
conventional short form: Canada
Data code:CA
Government type: confederation with parliamentary democracy
National capital: Ottawa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia,Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia,Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*
note: theNorthwest Territories will be split in two as of April 1999; the easternsection will be renamed Nunavut, the west is as yet unnamed
Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)
National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
Constitution: 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the machinery of thegovernment was set up in the British North America Act of 1867; charter ofrights and unwritten customs
Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil lawsystem based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, withreservations
Suffrage: 18years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), representedby Governor General Romeo LeBLANC (since 8 February 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November 1993)
cabinet :Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the members of his ownparty sitting in Parliament
elections:none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by thequeen on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, theleader of the majority party in the House of Commons is automaticallydesignated by the governor general to become prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat(a body whose members are appointed to serve until reaching 75 years of age bythe governor general and selected on the advice of the prime minister; itsnormal limit is 104 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes(295 seats; note - number of seats will rise to 301 at the time of the nextelection; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections:House of Commons - last held 25 October 1993 (next to be held by 3 November1998)
election results: percent of votes by party - Liberal Party 41%, Reform Party 19%,Tories 16%, Bloc Quebecois 14%, New Democratic Party 7%, other 3%; seats byparty - Liberal Party 177, Bloc Quebecois 53, Reform Party 52, New DemocraticParty 9, Progressive Conservative Party 2, independents 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the prime minister throughthe governor general
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN]; Bloc Quebecois [Michel GAUTHIER(until March 1997)]; Reform Party [Preston MANNING]; New Democratic Party[Alexa MCDONOUGH]; Progressive Conservative Party [Jean CHAREST]
International organizationparticipation: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), APEC,AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE (observer), EBRD,ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest),NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR,UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Raymond A. J. CHRETIEN
chancery:501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
telephone:[1] (202) 682-1740
FAX: [1](202) 682-7726
consulate(s) general : Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles,Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle
consulate(s): Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton,San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
embassy :100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa
mailing address: P. O. Box 866, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430
telephone :[1] (613) 238-5335, 4470
FAX: [1](613) 238-5720
consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver
Flag description: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width,square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
Economy
Economy - overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closelyresembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented economic system, andpattern of production. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing,mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely ruraleconomy into one primarily industrial and urban. Canada started the 1990s inrecession, and real rates of growth have averaged only 1.1% so far this decade.Because of slower growth, Canada still faces high unemployment - especially inQuebec and the Maritime Provinces - and a large public sector debt. With itsgreat natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant,however, Canada will enjoy better economic prospects in the future. Thecontinuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas israising the possibility of a split in the confederation, making foreigninvestors somewhat edgy.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $721 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.4% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $25,000 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture:3%
industry:31%
services :66% (1996)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 1.4% (1996)
Labor force:
total: 15.1million (1996)
by occupation : services 74%, manufacturing 15%, agriculture 3%, construction 5%,other 3% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 9.7% (December 1996)
Budget:
revenues:$94.3 billion
expenditures: $115.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.7 billion(FY95/96 est.)
Industries:processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products,transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas
Industrial production growth rate: 1.3% (1996)
Electricity - capacity: 113.65 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 547.9 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 16,137 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairyproducts; forest products; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5million metric tons, of which 75% is exported
Exports:
total value:$195.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities : newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, machinery, naturalgas, aluminum, motor vehicles and parts; telecommunications equipment
partners:US, Japan, UK, Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, China
Imports:
total value:$169.5 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
commodities : crude oil, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumergoods, electronic computers; telecommunications equipment and parts
partners:US, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea
Debt - external: $253 billion (1996)
Economic aid:
donor: ODA,$1.6 billion (1995)
note : ODAand OOF commitments, $10.1 billion (1986-91)
Currency: 1Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1 - 1.3486 (January 1997), 1.3635(1996), 1.37241 (1995), 1.3656 (1994), 1.2901 (1993), 1.2087 (1992)
Fiscal year:1 April - 31 March
Communications
Telephones:15.3 million (1990)
Telephone system: excellent service provided by modern technology
domestic :domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations
international: 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat(4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic OceanRegion)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 900, FM 29, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 70 (repeaters 1,400) (1991)
Televisions:11.53 million (1983 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total:70,176 km; note - there are two major transcontinental freight railway systems:Canadian National (privatized November 1995) and Canadian Pacific Railway;passenger service provided by government-operated firm VIA, which has notrackage of its own
standard gauge: 70,000 km 1.435-m gauge (63 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 176 km 0.914-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 1.021million km
paved:358,371 km (including 19,000 km of expressways)
unpaved:662,629 km (1995 est.)
Waterways:3,000 km, including Saint Lawrence Seaway
Pipelines:crude and refined oil 23,564 km; natural gas 74,980 km
Ports and harbors: Becancour (Quebec), Churchill, Halifax, Montreal, New Westminister,Prince Rupert, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick), Saint John’s (Newfoundland),Seven Islands, Sydney, Three Rivers, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor
Merchant marine:
total: 60ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 557,941 GRT/775,391 DWT
ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 9, chemical tanker 4, oil tanker 15, passenger 2,passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8, short-seapassenger 3, specialized tanker 2
note: doesnot include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes (1996 est.)
Airports:1,139 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 816
over 3,047 m: 17
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m : 138
914 to 1,523 m: 229
under 914 m:417 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 323
1,524 to 2,437 m: 55
914 to 1,523 m: 268 (1996 est.)
Heliports:17 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Canadian Armed Forces (includes Land Forces Command or LC, MaritimeCommand or MC, Air Command or AC, Communications Command or CC, TrainingCommand or TC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,160,914 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for militaryservice:
males :7,007,901 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military ageannually:
males:208,138 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9 billion (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (FY95/96)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: maritime boundary disputes with the US (Dixon Entrance, BeaufortSea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island); Saint Pierre and Miquelon isfocus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and France; in 1992 anarbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone area of 12,348sq km to settle the dispute
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market; use ofhydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities ofhigh-quality marijuana indoors; growing role as a transit point for heroin andcocaine entering the US market