State of Canada

 

State of Canada État du Canada (fr)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: From the Sea to the Plains
Anthem: O'Canada
Canada in green Canada in green
Capital and largest city	Toronto
Official languages	English
Recognised regional languages	French
Demonym(s)	Canadian
Government	Federal Parliamentary Republic
• President	Marcel Trudeau (D)
• Prime Minister	Allison Margot (D)
Legislature	Parliament of Canada
• Upper house	Senate of Canada
• Lower house	House of Commons of Canada
Area
• Total	2,703,159 km2 (1,043,696 sq mi) (TBD)
Population
• Census	26,271,981
• Density	4.1/km2 (10.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$3.1 trillion (TBD)
• Per capita	$70,000 (TBD)
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$3.1 trillion (TBD)
• Per capita	$62,291 (TBD)
HDI	0.922 very high · 4th
Time zone	Central Time Zone Pacific Time Zone Mountain Time Zone
ISO 3166 code	CA

The State of Canada, commonly referred to as Canada, is a sovereign nation located in the western part of Historic Canada. Canada is comprised of five provinces, one territory, and a federal district encompassing Toronto and its surrounding neighborhoods. Canada borders the United Commonwealth to the east, Superior and Astoria to the south, and Alaska to the northwest. The capital and largest city in Canada is Toronto, which is also the economic and technological capital of the country.

The State of Canada is a federal republic and parliamentary democracy. The President of Canada is the largely ceremonial head of state. The President has a list of duties and responsibilities enshrined in the Constitution of Canada. The Prime Minister of Canada is the head of government and the de facto executive head of the country. The national legislature of Canada is the Parliament of Canada and it is composed of two houses, the Senate and the House of Commons. The national judicial body is the Supreme Court of Canada. The Supreme Court's duty is to uphold and enforce the Constitution and performs a series of checks and balances to ensure the federal government is working properly.

Before European exploration and colonization, the lands of Canada were home to many Native American tribes, called the First Nations. These tribes would act as independent tribal kingdoms, partaking in trade, diplomacy, and war. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Canada would be colonized by both French and British colonists, who would actively partake in violence against each other. Colonial Canada would fall under the jurisdiction of Great Britain following the conclusion of the French and Indian War. Canada would remain under British control for over two centuries, participating in the War of Contingency on behalf of the British. In 1930, the Crimson Spring would erupt in Canada, resulting in the secession of Quebec and the Maritimes as independent Landonist states and the collapse of the commonwealth government. The end of the commonwealth government would result in the creation of the modern-day Canadian republican system. Canada would side with TBD during Great War I, and would later amend its relationship with the United Kingdom. After Great War II, Canada would side with the Anglo-American nations in opposing the rise of the United Commonwealth and Germany during the Cold War, which would result in a draw.

In the modern era, Canada is considered one of the many regional powers of Anglo-America. Canada is considered one of the most resource rich nations in the world, having large supplies of petroleum, lumber, and coal. Considered a highly-developed nation, Canada has the TBD economy in the world and is considered a "free nation". Canada is a founding member state of the League of Nations, which it serves on the League of Nations Security Council, and is a member state of the Conference of American States. Canada is one of the largest nations in Anglo-America, however in terms of population it is one of the smallest. Since the end of the Cold War, Canada has seen continued economic and political growth, which many say may lead to Canada becoming a world power.

Etymology

Main article: Name of Canada

There have been a variety of theories into the origin of the name Canada, but the most widely accepted origin is from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word kanata, which roughly translated means "village" or "settlement". In 1535, Indigenous tribes within modern-day Quebec City used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona. Cartier later used the word Canada not only to refer to the village itself, but also to the entire area of subject to Donnacona (the chief of Stadacona). By 1545, European maps began to refer to the region along the Saint Lawrence River as Canada.

From the 16th century until the early 18th century, the term "Canada" was used to refer to a part of New France around the St. Lawrence River. In 1791, the area was annexed by the United Kingdom and absorbed into the British Empire as the colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada respectively, collectively refered to as the Canadas until their union as the Province of Canada in 1841. In 1867, Canada was organized into a confederation known as the Dominion of Canada and was granted home rule by Britain due to its participation and crucial role in the anti-union war effort during the War of Contingency with the word dominion added to the country's title at the London Conference.

Following the Crimson Spring and the loss of the Maritimes and Quebec as independent Landonist states aligned with the United Commonwealth, the country's republican movement gained steam and resulted in the election of the Republican Party of Canada in 1932 who renamed the country into the State of Canada following the passing of a new constitution in 1933. The word dominion was dropped and Canada formally left the British real, though it did rejoin the Commonwealth of Nations in 1948 after the end of Great War I as part of Canada's effort to build new friendly ties with Britian post-war.