Canada (Alternatively)

 

Federal Republic of Canada República federal de Canadá
Flag Great Seal
Motto: A mari usque ad mare From sea to sea
Anthem:  Northwest Passage
Capital	Ottawa
Largest city	New York City
Official languages	English • Spanish
Recognised regional languages	Basque
Demonym(s)	Canadian
Government	Federal parliamentary republic
• President	Wallace Shawn
• Prime Minister	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	House of Council
• Lower house	House of Commons
Independence from Great Britain
• Providence Declaration	10 July 1770
• Constitution adopted	17 April 1782
Area
• Total area	12,058,400 km2 (4,655,800 sq mi)
• Water (%)	12.1%
• Total land area	10,599,454 km2
Population
• Q3 2023 estimate	85,231,000
• 2020 census	82,599,157
• Density	7.068/km2 (18.3/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2023 estimate
• Total	$5.850 trillion
• Per capita	$68,646
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$6.314 trillion
• Per capita	$74,089
Gini (2023)	30.3 medium
HDI	0.936 very high
Currency	Canadian dollar ($) (CAD)
Date format	DD-MM-YYY
Driving side	right
Calling code	+1
Internet TLD	.ca

The Federal Republic of Canada (Spanish: República federal de Canadá) is a sovereign state encompassing the northern portion of North America. Canada is the second-largest country in the world by land area, comprising 11.7 million square kilometres. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Great Lakes to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Its capital city is Ottawa, while its largest city New York City.

Canada is a federal parliamentary republic. Its Parliament is the bicameral supreme legislature. The President of Canada is the ceremonial head of state of the country, while the Prime Minister is the empowered head of government elected from within the House of Commons. Canada's democratic system is considered robust with a high degree of transparency and low ratings of corruption.

Canada is a high income, market economy. With a gross domestic product at purchasing power parity estimated around $5.850 trillion as of 2023, Canada ranks among the world's largest economies. Economic diversity in Canada is high, with various productive industries in all sectors of the economy.

Canada is a founding member of the United Nations and holds formal diplomatic relations with all of its member countries.

History

European colonization

The first European explorers to map the regions that make up modern Canada were the English under John Cabot. The Spanish Empire later explored the San Lorenzo River valley and became the region's first permanent European settlers.

Following the War of Spanish Succession, the British assumed control over the San Lorenzo valley, organizing the territories for the first time under the name "Canada."

Independence

In 1770, the Boston massacre inflamed the growing tensions between the British home government and their American subsidiaries. The next year, the Monterrey Uprising began in earnest what is now termed the Canadian Revolutionary War.

Politics

The political structure of the Federal Republic of Canada is defined in the collection of documents commonly referred to as the country's Constitution. The accumulation of the Federal Republic's constitutional law began with the Charlottetown Convention in 1779, several years after the conclusion of the Canadian Revolutionary War. The delegates to the convention met in four sessions between 1779 and 1782 before a final document was adopted that established the "Canadian Republic" on 12 October 1782, these being termed the First Articles of the Constitution.

The Monterrey Convention held in 1838 added the Second Articles of the Constitution and transitioned the Canadian Republic into the modern Federal Republic of Canada. Formulated in response to the New Asturian rebellion of 1836, the Second Articles significantly increased the power of the individual provinces by implementing the modern federal system. The Federal government of Canada retains legislative supremacy over the provinces but voluntarily defers to the provinces in key areas of domestic administration, including education, healthcare, and policing.

The Ottawa Convention of 1982 added the Third Articles of the Constitution, sometimes referred to separately from the other Articles as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter significantly empowered the Supreme Court of Canada by cementing its ability to perform judicial review of both federal and provincial legislation. Under the Charter, various rights and privileges of individual citizens were recognized as constitutional law superior to readily amendable governmental policy as a measure to ensure equitable treatment under any level of government.

Government

Arms of the Parliament of Canada.

Diplomacy

The United Nations is based in New York City, New York. Canada played a leading role in the creation of the United Nations and maintains a permanent seat on the Security Council.

Canada is a founding member of the United Nations and holds formal diplomatic relations with all of its member countries. In addition, Canada is a founding member of the World Peace Organization, the Global Economy Forum, and the Unified World Financial Institutions.