Exceeded in area only by the U.S.S.R.

, Canada may be regarded as the

second largest country in the world. It is almost identical in area with China,
though the Canadian figure includes 290,0 sq. miles of fresh water.
Canada, who is represented by the Governor- General. It is a Federation
formed by the British North America Act of 1867. The original four provinces —
Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia — were later joined by six
others, the last being Newfoundland in 1949. In addition to the ten provinces there
are two territories, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, which account for 41% of
the total land area but less than 0*2% of the population. The capital is Ottawa (pop.
430,000).
Of the total population 81% at the last census were born in Canada, mainly of
British, French, and Irish origin. Of those born outside Canada over half had arrived
since the Second World War. In the five years 1958-1962 there were 90,000
immigrants from Britain, 120,000 from the rest of the Commonwealth, 100,000 from
Italy, 50,000 from Germany, and 13,000 from France. The aboriginal Amerinds and
Eskimos make up little more than 1% of the population. At the 1961 census 59% of
the total population gave English as their mother tongue, and 28% French. Both
languages are used officially. The largest religious denomination was Roman
Catholic, with 46% of the total, followed by the United Church of Canada with 20%
and the Anglican Church of Canada with 13%.

Relief.
Morphologically Canada may be divided into five regions: the Canadian Shield, the
Interior Plains, the Western Cordilleras and Plateaus, the Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence Lowland, and the Atlantic Maritime region.
The Canadian Shield covers more than half of Canada. It is a Precambrian
peneplain extending like a vast shell round Hudson Bay from the St. Lawrence River
to the Plains and from the Great Lakes to the Arctic. It is the richest mineralbearing
region in North America, and one of the richest in the world.
An ice-sheet completely covered this region at the opening of the Quaternary period
and has left its mark in vast morainic accumulations and innumerable lakes and
fiords. Hudson Bay is surrounded by broad expanses of lowland from which the
Shield gradually rises to 1,500 ft. in the west and to over 3,000 ft. in Labrador. To the
west the belt of Interior Plains extends from the United States border through
southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan and much of Alberta to the Arctic and from the
Winnipeg, Athabaska, Great Slave, and Great Bear lakes to the Rocky Mountains.
The Plains belt rises in a series of steps toward the west.
Climate.
As Canada is open on the north to polar air masses, the climate of most of the
country is extremely continental, with long cold winters, short cool summers, and
scanty precipitation. Only the narrow coastal strip on the Pacific Ocean, west of the
Coast Mountains, enjoys the beneficial effects of a Warm ocean current and a heavy
rainfall. But on the eastern side the seas surrounding all Canada north of Nova Scotia
are frozen for several months of the year. Even the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the
Great Lakes are frequently completely ice-bound.
Economy.
Five economic regions may be distinguished: the Atlantic Maritime, the St.
Lawrence-Great Lakes, the Prairies, the Pacific Maritime, and the Canadian Shield.
The Atlantic Maritime Provinces, an area of ridges and valleys, were early settled and
are a region of fisheries, forests, and mining. Off the
Because of its massive size Canada has a variety of climates. About 1,000,000 sq.
miles of the north-eastern regions have an arctic climate, in south-western British
Columbia the climate is similar to that of the English south coast.
Сoasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia the Grand Banks are one of the world’s
greatest fishing grounds. The cod fisheries of Newfoundland have a long history right
back to within a few years of their discovery by Cabot. The Nova Scotia catch, in
addition to cod, includes herring, haddock, and lobsters, the last particularly
profitable. Agriculture has difficult conditions of soil and climate but there are
important specializations on fruit, particularly apples, and on potatoes. The coal of
Nova Scotia and the tide-water facilities favoured the rise of metallurgy at Sydney,
Trenton, and Amherst, using iron ore from the great Wabana hematite deposits of
Bell Island, Newfoundland. Other industries include newsprint, shipbuilding, railway
material, chemicals, textiles, and shoes.
History.
Canada has been ‘discovered’ by Europeans on several occasions, but it was not until
the French sent out colonists in the early 17th century that the country generated a
coherent history and development of its own. Probably seen by Leif Ericsson about
1000 A.D., Canada was lost sight of until John Cabot landed in the course of his
voyage of 1497-1498. With the opening of the 16th century England, France,
Portugal, and Spain all became attracted by the rich fishing grounds off the ‘New
Found Land’, but this in itself was of no interest to'courts and navigators and
explorers bent on discovering new routes to the East. The Frenchman Jacques Cartier
went on a voyage of discovery along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador in
1534 and discovered the gulf of the St. Lawrence river, sailing up it as far as the
Indian capital of Hochelaga.

Folk Customs.
Canada has a short history both as a colony and as a nation, and the existence of
two separate languages and cultural traditions, together with the weighty influence of
the neighbouring United States, have somewhat restrained the growth of folk art. The
indigenous folk cultures of the Indians and Eskimos, on the other hand, are of great
interest and importance.
Some Indians, living in Canadian reserves, especially those of Algonquin and
Atapasca origin, cling firmly to their ancient customs. A singular instance is their
habit of not allowing their dogs to chew the bones of beavers, deer, or moose,
because of the atavistic respect they bear these animals. To the same Indian traditions
there belong the masks used in their pageants and tribal dances, decorated with
sealskin and feathers and other unusual materials.
The culture of the Eskimos is a simple one, and their way of life rigorous, so
that their artistic production is today limited to a few objects such as small ivory
carvings. Far more interesting and original are the strange carvings in horn, wood,
and ivory made by the ancient Eskimos. To ward off evil spirits the Eskimos use
ceremonial masks that are often grotesque; while bone, leather, or ivory dolls,
decorated with bracelets and necklaces and dressed in traditional costumes, also have
certain magical functions. Montreal, Victoria, and other cities have museums devoted
to the preservation of precious Indian and Eskimo relics.