Canada Facts

Canada is the second largest country in the world, with only Russia outsizing us. We have six time zones: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, Atlantic and Newfoundland time.

We cover 9,984,670 square kilometers, of which 9,093,507 sq. km. is land and 891,163 sq. km is water. We have 1/10 of the world's forests, and nearly 1/4 of the world's fresh water.

From Victoria on the west coast to St Johns on the east, the distance is 7,604 kilometres, (4,725 mi). Our Trans Canada Highway is the longest national highway in the world.

 We have the world's longest coastline - bordered on the west by the Pacific, on the east by the Atlantic and on the north by the Arctic Ocean, our total coastline is 202,080 km.

On the south, and on the north-west corner, we are bordered by the United States. The Canada/US contiguous states border is 6,416 km long, but we also share a northern border with Alaska, which is 2,477 km long. (Unfortunately, we do not share a border with Hawaii).

We have roughly 3 people per square kilometre, giving us the fourth lowest population density in the world.

The July 2007 population estimate was 33,390,141, with about 90% of us concentrated within 160 km of the USA border. That leaves a lot of land for wildlife! In 2005 the percentage of land use was: arable cropland 5.2%, leaving 94.7% classed as 'other' - forests, water, tundra and arctic areas.

We have two official languages: English spoken by 59.3% and French spoken by 23.2%. Other languages spoken: 17.5%. Our literacy rate, those 15 and over who can read, is 99%.

Canada is made up of ten provinces and three northern territories