Canada

First I’m going to tell you something about the modern situation of Canada.

Canada is now the second largest country in the world. It is bounded by three oceans: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The rest of the country borders on the USA. With the exception of Alaska it covers the northern half of America. The country is so wide that six time zones lie within its borders. Today, Canada is a British Commonwealth country. It belongs to a group of 49 nations that formerly were British colonies, but are now independent. These states recognize the British monarch as the head of the Commonwealth. The leaders of these countries meet every two years. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. Other large cities are: - Toronto - Montreal - Vancouver - Winnipeg - Edmonton - Quebec - Hamilton

Further, Canada is a stable and prosperous country with vast mineral resources and a highly developed agriculture and industry. The maple leaf is used as the emblem of Canada.

Now I will going tell you something about the history of Canada. The first inhabitants of Canada were the Indians or the Inuit. These people probably came from Asia. They went to Canada at the end of the Ice age. They went to Canada at the end of the Ice age. After that, at about thousand after Christ, the Vikings were also in Canada. However the people on Europe did not now this. The first European came in Canada in the fifteenth Century. This man was called John Cabot. John Cabot was an Englishman. It was his job to find a quicker sea route for the ships to the rich ports in Asia. When he found an enormous empty piece of land he claimed it for England. They called this land Canada. Soon people found out that there was a lot of fish in the seas of Canada. That is why many ships sailed to Canada to catch fish. These fisherman came into contact with the inhabitants of the country. They started to trade. The Indians wanted to have jewellery and other things from Europe. They paid for these things with fur skins. In Europe these fur skins were worth a lot of money. Many merchants were interested in these fur skins because they could earn a lot of money with them. Some of these merchants stayed in Canada. There were also many farmers who went to Canada because of the space. Slowly, more and more people came to live in Canada. The first settlement was called Nova Scotia. The French founded the first settlement. Nova scatia was situated in the south of Canada. Soon there came more French settlements in the area. They called this area New France. Not for from New France the English founded settlement. The French and the English often fought with each other for fur and for land. The French and the English also often fought against the Indians. The king of France thought that New France had to be become al real colony. He sent soldiers to New France because it had to become a part of France. The French and the English colonists fought against each other in four wars. Finally the French lost. After that Canada because English. They people had to speak English. In 1774 There was the Quebec Act, which said that the French Canadians could speak French if they wanted. In the 19th Century the population grows very quickly. Canada wants to become an independent Country. In the 1960 s Canada gets its own flag in 1982 the Canada Act says that Canada can have its own constitution. Although Canada is an independent Country it still recognises the Queen of England al it’s Queen.

Canada\'s climate is characterized by its diversity, as temperature and precipitation differ from region to region and from season to season. While it is true that in the extreme north temperatures climb above 0°C for only a few months a year, most Canadians live within 300 kilometres of the country\'s southern border, where mild springs, warm summers and pleasantly crisp autumns prevail at least seven months of the year. The seasons dictate the look of the land: according to whether the natural environment is in a state of dormancy or growth, Canadians may be alpine skiing ... or water skiing ...

Occupying the northern half of the North American continent, Canada\'s land mass is 9 093 507 square kilometers, making it the second-largest country in the world after Russia. From east to west, Canada encompasses six time zones. In addition to its coastlines on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Canada has a third sea coast on the Arctic Ocean, giving it the longest coastline of any country. To the south, Canada shares an 8 891 kilometre boundary with the United States. To the north, the Arctic islands come within 800 kilometres of the North Pole. Canada\'s neighbour across the Arctic Ocean is Russia. Because of the harsh northern climate, only 12 percent of the land is suitable for agriculture. Thus, most of the population of 30 million live within a few hundred kilometres of the southern border, where the climate is milder, in a long thin band stretching between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans ...

With a population of 30 million and a GDP of $1,142.62 billion in 2002, Canada is one of the world\'s largest economies. A member of the G7 group of leading industrial countries, Canada enjoys an enviable standard of living, an excellent infrastructure, a highly educated and skilled labour force as well as a well-deserved reputation as a successful trading nation. Canada\'s leading industries include automobile manufacturing, pulp and paper, iron and steel work, machinery and equipment manufacturing, mining, extraction of fossil fuels, forestry and agriculture. Canada\'s leading exports are automobile vehicles and parts, machinery and equipment, high-technology products, oil, natural gas, metals, and forest and farm products.

Finally, I’m going to tell you something about the inhabitants of Canada. Large parts of this vast country are practically uninhabited and its popualtion density is among the lowest in the world. Long before the country was known as Canada the Indians and the Eskimos lived here. They developed many languages and cultures and invented the kayak, canoe and snowshoes. Now, Canada has two official languages: English and French. The French-speaking populaton is a minority and now and then there are problems between them and the English-speaking Canadians.