Canada.

 

 Canada is the second largest country in the world. Only Russia is larger. Canada is slightly larger than the United States but has about one-tenth as many people. Three-fourths of all Canadians live within 100 miles of the USA.  Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Toronto is the largest city. Both cities are in the province of Ontario.

  Canada is an independent, self-governing nation -  a federation or union of ten provinces and three territories. The Constitution Act of 1982 continued recognition of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, as the queen of Canada. The position symbolizes Canada's historic ties to the United Kingdom which entirely ruled Canada until 1848. At that time, Canada began to gain some control of its domestic affairs; however, the UK continued to govern Canada's foreign affairs. In 1931, Canada became a fully independent nation.

 

 About one third of all Canadians came from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Other large ethnic  groups represented are Germans, Italians and Asians.   The Canadian government recognizes both English and French as official languages. French Canadians are near eighty percent of Quebec Province's population. Native people, American Indians and Inuit, comprise a small percentage of the nation's population.

 

 Canada has got a lot of natural resources. European settlers discovered a land of clear lakes and rivers, prairies, and forests that supported vast numbers of projects and fur-bearing animals. There were rich farm lands and coastal fisheries. The forests became important sources of timber for shipbuilding and construction. Today, Canadian forests make Canada the leading producer of paper for newsprint.  Canada also is a leader in the generation of hydroelectric power. The country also has abundant deposits of petroleum, iron ore, and other minerals that provide the raw materials to maintain Canada as a leading manufacturing nation.