Weather
Varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north.
Terrain
Mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast.
Currency
Canadian Dollar (CAD)
Languages
English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), other 17.5%
Religion
Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 36%, other 18% note: based on the 1991 census
Ethnic groups
British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%
History
A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Canada's paramount political problem is meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services after a decade of budget cuts. The issue of reconciling Quebec's francophone heritage with the majority anglophone Canadian population has moved to the back burner in recent years; support for separatism abated after the Quebec government's referendum on independence failed to pass in October of 1995.
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