Welcome To Canada
	At a Glance Canada's Six Regions Notable Canadians Canada's National Anthem (O'Canada) Visiting Canada Canadian News and Information Links

At a Glance
Capital: Ottawa, Ontario
Monetary unit: Canadian dollar
Languages: English, French (both official)
Area: 3,851,788 sq mi (9,976,140 sq km)
Date of Confederation: July 1, 1867

Population: 31,414,000 on July 1, 2002 (growth rate: 1.0%)

Largest Cities: (1996 census; metropolitan areas): Toronto, 4,263,757; Montreal, 3,326,510; Vancouver, 1,831,665; Ottawa/Hull, 1,010,498; Edmonton, 862,597; Calgary, 821,628; Quebec, 671,889; Winnipeg, 667,209; Hamilton, 624,360; London, 398,616

National Motto: A mari usque ad mare (From sea to sea)

National Flag: On February 15, 1965 Canada adopted the red and white flag with one maple leaf as it's official flag.

The maple leaf has been associated with Canada since the 1700s. The deciduous trees are prominent in Canada as well as the maple syrup and sugar exports that they are used for.

National Animal: The Beaver is the national animal of Canada. The beaver is one of the main reasons Canada was explored and colonized. Trappers came to Canada for Beaver pelts which were very necessary for the fashions of the time. The beaver represents industry and perseverence.

Canada's Six Regions

Canada is divided into ten Provinces and three Northern Territories. Perhaps, it is easier to describe the land by its six geographical Regions:

1. The Atlantic Region
2. The Canadian Shield
3. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands
4. The Interior Plains
5. The Cordillera
6. The Arctic

The Atlantic Region
The Atlantic Region is a mixture of rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, rich farmland, and thick forests. The provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Island part of the province of Newfoundland belong to this region. These provinces are known as the Maritimes; a word meaning "on or near the sea."

The Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield is a rocky landmass that covers nearly half of Canada. It is one of the earth's oldest landforms. The landscape of the Canadian Shield consists of bare rock, thick forests, and cold freshwater lakes.

If you visited the Canadian Shield and picked up one of its pinkish stones, you could be holding a 600-million-year- old mineral in your hand! This hard rock is called granite, and it reaches far below the surface of the earth.

The Lowlands
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands are located between the Canadian Shield and the north shores of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and the banks of the St. Lawrence River. This narrow area of level land is home to two-thirds of the Canada's population and produces three quarters of Canada's manufactured goods. This region is often referred to as "Canada's heartland", with its fertile farmland and many industries.

The Interior Plains
Flat grasslands and gently rolling hills are familiar sights across the Interior Plains, or Prairie Region of Canada. The plains stretch over the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. This region is famous for grain farming and cattle ranching. It also contains a wealth of natural resources such as minerals, oil, and natural gas.

The Cordillera
As you head further west, the gentle landscape of the prairie suddenly rises to meet the Rocky Mountains. Jagged, snow-capped peaks run north-south through the Yukon, western Alberta, and British Columbia, forming the region called the Cordillera. The Cordillera area boasts coastal forests with thousand-year-old gigantic trees and southern valleys that are ideal for growing fruit. Most of the people who make the Cordillera their home live in the south- western corner of British Columbia, in or near the city of Vancouver.

The Arctic
"The sun shines at midnight and millions of tiny wildflowers bloom next to sparkling ponds," describes the short summer in the far northern region of the Arctic. During the long, dark winter, snow blows across the mountains, frozen oceans, and the desert-like area known as the tundra. The northern part of the Arctic is an archipelago, or a group of islands. These islands, which are located in the Arctic Ocean, are the world's largest archipelago.

Notable Canadians

William Aberhardt, (1878-1943) Founder of the Social Credit party, William Aberhardt began his career as a high school teacher and religious-radio-show host in Calgary, Alberta. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Aberhardt formed a political party that proposed that the government set fair prices for all goods and that a dividend of $25 be paid by the government to all consumers. Aberhart added his own brand of religious fundamentalism to these radical economic theories, which became popular in Alberta. The Social Credit party controlled the province's legislature until the early 1970s.

Davidialiek Amiituk (born 1910) A carver and printmaker known as Davidialuk, Amiituk grew up in Povungnituk, an Inuit settlement located on the east side of Hudson Bay in Quebec. Amiituk's art is noted for its wild, fantastic mystical imagery. Both his prints and his carvings depict incidents from Inuit mythology.

Denys Arcand (born 1941) A filmmaker from Quebec with stron~ political interests, Arcand has been writing and directing highly acclaimed documentaries and theatrical films for both television and the cinema since 1962. His work is at once humorous and political in tone, offering distinctive, provocative views of modern Quebec society. Le Dec/in de L 'Empire Americain (The Decline of the American Empire) is perhaps his best-known film; it won several prestigious awards in 1986, including the Critic's Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the New York Film Critics' Best Foreign Film award.

Margaret Atwood (born 1939) Atwood is one of Canada's best- known and most respected contemporary authors. A poet, novelist, and critic, Atwood was first published in 1961. Her poems, stories, and essays examine the difficulties of life in the late 20th century, particularly the plight of the modern woman and her difficult, often ambiguous role in society. Her futuristic novel The Handmaid's Tale was published in 1985 and won international critical and popular acclaim. Atwood won the American Humanist of the Year Award in 1987. (have photo)

Sir Frederick Banting (1891-1941) Born in Newfoundland in 1891, Banting was practicing medicine in London, Ontario, when he began studying the pancreas and its role in human anatomy. He was part of a team that discovered that the pancreas secretes insulin, an essential hormone that helps the body regulate the metabolization of sugar and carbohydrates. Since Banting and his colleagues isolated the hormone, insulin has been used around the world to treat millions of people suffering from diabetes mellitus. For their discovery, Banting and a colleague won the Nobel Prize for physiology. Banting was appointed Canada's first professor of medical research at University of Toronto and was knighted in 1934.

Pierre Burton (born 1920) Born in Whitehorse, Yukon, and educated at the University of British Columbia, Burton worked as a journalist in Vancouver before moving east to Toronto. Since then, Burton has worked as a television journalist and published many highly respected books about Canadian history. His first book, Klondike, concerned the Yukon gold rush that made his hometown famous. Another of his books, Hollywood's Canada, reveals how Hollywood films have misrepresented or misinterpreted Canadian history. Burton has received 3 Governor- General's Awards and 11 honorary degrees and is a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Baillairge Family Five generations of this French Canadian family designed and built some of Quebec's most beautiful buildings during the 18th and 19th centuries. Jean, born in 1726, was a master carpenter and architect brought to New France in 1741 by a French bishop. He designed and crafted woodwork for shops, houses, and religious buildings. His son Francois was born in Quebec in 1759 and is best known for decorating the interior of Notre Dame de la Paix de Quebec and the facade of Notre Dame es Victoires. His nephew Charles helped supervise the construction of Quebec's Parliament Buildings and helped design the terrace and pavilions of the renowned Dufferin Palace.
Thomas, born in 1791, helped establish Canada's first set of rules and guidelines for architectural design. His son Charles designed the Universite de Laval and the Ottawa Parliament Buildings, among others.

David Blackwood (born 1941) Born in Wesleyville on Bonavista lay in 1941, Blackwood is one of Newfoundland's best-known visual artists. His prints and paintings focus on the province's unique maritime history, particularly Bonavista Bay's sea captains. Blackwood sees himself as part of the age-old Newfoundland tradition of storytelling; his works are stories told in visual images. Considered one of Canada's most important etchers, Blackwood now lives in Toronto.

J. Armand Bombardier (1907-64) One of Quebec's premier inventors and entrepreneurs, Bombardier is best known for his invention of the snowmobile, an all-terrain vehicle reliable on both soft ground (muskeg) and snow. Naming his invention the Ski-Do, Bombardier first marketed it in 1959. This motorized vehicle revolutionized life in the Far North by dramatically improving transportation. It also created a new winter sport enjoyed across North America. The Bombardier family still runs Bombardier, Inc., which now makes aerospace components and engines in addition to snowmobiles.

Edith Butler (born 1942) Edith Butler, a singer and composer, grew up the heart of Acadia, the region in eastern Canada that was settled by the French in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Joseph Brant (1742-1807) Principal chief of the Six Nations Native tribes of New York State during the mid-18th century, Joseph Brant led his people in battle alongside the British against the French during the Seven Years' War and against the Americans during the American Revolution. He was greatly admired as a soldier and was made a captain by the British in 1780. Beginning in 1783, Brant worked to form a united confederation of Iroquois and other western Native Americans to prevent American expansion westward. For their help to the British, Brant and some 1,600 Iroquois were granted land on the Grand River in Ontario.

Etienne Brule (1592-1633) A dynamic and inspired young lieutenant in the service of explorer Samuel de Champlain, Etienne Brule was just 17 years old when he was sent to explore the region west of Ontario. He was the first white man to live among the Native people of the region, becoming a skilled interpreter and intermediary between the Europeans and the Huron. Brule was probably the first European to see lakes Ontario, Huron, and Superior. It is believed that he was eventually killed and eaten by the Huron among whom he lived.

Douglas Joseph Cardinal (born 1934) An architect best known for his masterly design of St. Mary's Church at Red Deer, Alberta, Douglas Cardinal is a Metis (with Native Blackfoot and white ancestry) from Alberta. In designing St. Mary's, Cardinal became the first western Canadian architect to use computers as design tools. In addition to his work as a designer, Cardinal has long been involved in Native and Metis political issues. He designed the $93 million Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec, which opened in 1989.

Timothy Eaton (1834-1907) The founder of Canada's largest privately owned department store, Timothy Eaton emigrated from Ireland in 1854. Two years later, he and an older brother opened a small store in Kirkland, Ontario; they later moved the store to Toronto. Eaton revolutionized the way Canadians shopped by introducing mail order. He also vastly improved the working conditions of his employees. At his death in 1907, Eaton's small store had grown into a major conglomerate, employing more than 9,000 people. Today one of Canada's major corporations, the Eaton enterprises remain largely family owned.

Henrietta Louise Edwards (1849-1931) Born to a wealthy Montreal family, Henrietta Edwards became one of Canada's early feminists and political activists. In 1875, she founded the Working Girls' Association to provide vocational training to young women. Later she helped to found two important suffragist organizations, the National Council of Women and the Victorian Order of Nurses. Throughout her life, Edwards worked tirelessly to expand the legal, social, and political rights of women.

Michael J. Fox (born 1961) Born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Burnaby, British Columbia, this television and film actor is best known for his starring role as Alex Keaton in the long- running TV series "Family Ties." Fox's many hit movies include the Back to the Future trilogy and the more serious and critically acclaimed Casualties of War.

Thomas Forrestall (born 1936) Forrestall is Nova Scotia's best- known artist. His realistic paintings, often done in egg tempera or watercolors, center on the beauty of the Atlantic landscape and its dwellings. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1986.

Francois Xavier Garneau (1809-66) Garneau is widely considered to be both the greatest writer of 19th-century French Canada and its most important historian. He was largely self-educated. His work as a historian began with the three-volume Histoire du Canada (History of Canada), which was published in the late 1840s. Garneau presented the history of French Canadians as one of a continual struggle against the British, both on the battlefield and in the political arena. His work is still considered a major source for novelists, poets, and political theorists interested in the history of French Canada.

James Gladstone (1887-1971) Known as Akay-na-muka in his Native Blood language, James Gladstone became Canada's first Native senator when" he was appointed to the office in the Northwest Territories in 1958. He spent his life fighting for better treatment of Native Americans, urging improved health care and education and greater respect for treaty rights. He served as president of the Indian Association of Alberta and was frequently a delegate to Ottawa to discuss proposed changes in the Indian Act.

Glenn Gould (1932-82) Before he died suddenly of a stroke at the age of 50, Glenn Gould was known as one of the most brilliant classical pianists of the 20th century. He received his musical education at the Royal Conservatory of Music and was concert soloist by the time he was 14. His concert and recorded repertoire included all the Bach and Beethoven keyboard works, much Mozart, and works by modem composers such as Hindemith and Schoenberg.

Wayne Gretzky (born 1961) The premier hockey player of the 1980s, Ontario-born Wayne Gretzky became the youngest athlete to play a major-league sport in North America when he signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 1978. In his second National Hockey League season, he scored 164 points, breaking fellow countryman Phil Esposito's single-season record of 152 points; the following year he scored an astounding 212 points. He led the Oilers to win three Stanley Cup titles, in 1983, 1984, and 1987. In this period, the team-and Gretzky himself-shattered practically every NHL point- and goal-scoring record. Gretzky's speed, agility, and accurate shooting have earned him the respect of his colleagues and the admiration of all hockey fans.

Crawford "Buzz" Holling (born 1930) Since becoming a professor of zoology at the University of British Columbia in 1967, this American-born scientist has built an international reputation as an ecologist and forest entomologist. Holling and his colleagues promote strict management of natural resources through workshops and seminars.

Kahn- Tineta Horn (born 1940) A member of the Mohawk Wolf Clan of Caughnawaga, Quebec, Horn-whose name means "she makes the grass wave" in Mohawk-has been a Native rights activist since the 1960s. She was a model and public speaker for many years before taking part in numerous Native rights protests. In 1967, she founded the Indian Legal Defence Committee and served as its director until 1971. Since then, she has held various positions in the federal Department of Indian Affairs.

Gordie Howe (born 1928) Born in Floral, Saskatchewan, Gordie Howe was one of the finest hockey players of all time. Through- out his 32 seasons, most of them with the Detroit Red Wings, he scored more than 1,000 goals, 1,500 assists, and 2,500 points. His career as a professional athlete is one of the longest lasting on record.

Rene Levesque (1922-87) Founder of the Parti Quebecois, Levesque was committed to attaining Quebec sovereignty or the creation of a new Canadian constitution recognizing Quebec's special status as a French society. He began his career as a radio and television journalist, then won political office as a member of the Quebec Liberal party in 1960. After serving in a variety of elected and appointed posts, Levesque left the Liberals to found the Parti Quebecois in 1968. In 1976 he became premier when the Parti Quebecois won a majority of the vote. Levesque's greatest political defeat came in 1980, when a referendum that would have led Quebec toward independence was soundly defeated. He retired from public service in 1986 and died a year later.

Nellie McClung (1873-1951) Raised on a homestead in Manitoba's Souris Valley, Nellie McClung was a teacher, author, and suffragist during the early and mid-20th century. She first became active in the Women's Christian Temperance Movement in Manitou; later, after moving to Winnipeg, she became a spokeswoman for women's rights, urging woman suffrage. She was a dynamic speaker and gained an international reputation for be speeches she gave in Britain, the United States, and Canada. McClung was also a prolific writer. Her first novel, Sowing Seeds 't Danny, was published in 1908. A humorous depiction of a quaint Manitoba village, the book became a national best-seller, she wrote more than a dozen volumes of fiction and autobiography.

Marshall McLuhan (1911-80) A professor of English at the University of Toronto, McLuhan studied the effects of mass media--especially television-on thought and behavior. Perhaps his most important contribution to the study of modern communications is his book The Medium Is the Message, which describes his theory that the way one receives information-by reading, listening, or watching television-deeply influences one's perception of that information. He published several other books of criticism and theory, including Through the Vanishing Point and Take Today: The Executive as Dropout. He received rumerous North American and European honors.

Mingo Martin (Native name Nakapenkim) (1879-1962) An authority on various aspects of the northwest coast Native Cultures, Mingo Martin was a painter, carver, singer, and songwriter. A member of the Kwakiutl people, Martin helped renew pride in his Native culture when he was asked to head a project to restore the northwest coast totem poles in 1948. During the 1950s, he helped ethnographers preserve the language and music of the Kwakiutl people by recording some 200 songs at the University of British Columbia. One of Martin's most famous works is the world's tallest totem pole, in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, completed in 1958.

Joni Mitchell (born 1943) "The Circle Game" and "Both Sides Now" are two of this popular and versatile singer-composer's best-known songs. Mitchell began her career singing folk songs in Calgary and Toronto, eventually moving to Los Angeles, California. Her music has evolved into a unique blend of jazz, folk, and rock rhythms and sounds. Blue is generally considered her most influential album. Mitchell has produced some 15 albums since 1968; one of them, Clouds, received a Grammy Award in 1969.

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1847-1942) Author of 22 novels and several volumes of short stories, Lucy Maud Montgomery shared the beauty of her native province, Prince Edward Island, with a wide audience. Her most beloved creation was Anne Shirley, heroine of the international best-seller Anne of Green Gables and its sequels.

Farley Mowat (born 1921) Considered Canada's most widely read author, Farley Mowat has published nearly 30 books. Since studying biology at the University of Toronto, he has written extensively about man and his relationship to nature. His first book, People of the Deer (1952), concerned the problems of the Inuit, which he attributed to the intrusion of white people and their culture into the Arctic. One of his best-known works is Never Cry Wolf, which was made into a movie. Mowat's fast- paced yet graceful style continues to attract millions of nature- loving readers around the world.

Peter Pitseolak (1902-73) The intrusion of modern technology into the Arctic north has changed forever the Inuit way of life. This Inuit photographer and artist spent his life trying to preserve and document his people's way of life before it passed into history. He took his first photograph in the 1930s for a white man who was afraid to approach a polar bear and went on to take more than 1,500 photographs of life in the north.

Louis Riel (1844-85) Born near St. Boniface, Manitoba, and educated in Montreal, Riel was a dynamic organizer of the Metis and the founder of the province of Manitoba. In the 1860s he formed an impressive organization of rebellious Metis who fought for land, language, and cultural rights as well as access to political power. In 1869-70, Riel led his men in the Red River Rebellion, which ended when the Manitoba Act created a new Canadian province, called Manitoba, in which the land and cultural rights of Metis were guaranteed. In 1884, at the request of the Metis in Saskatachewan, Riel led a second rebellion agains the Canadian government. He was captured and executed. Many Canadians regard Riel as a heroic freedom fighter.

Gabrielle Roy (1909-83) A novelist who depicted working-class life in postwar Canada and the conflict between the values of progress and those of tradition, Roy is considered one of the most important Canadian writers of the late 20th century. Her first novel, Bonheur d'occasion (called in English The Tin Flute) won the Prix Femina in Paris and the Literary Guild of America Award in New York. She later published more than a dozen highly acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction.

Donald Sutherland (born 1935) An internationally acclaimed film actor, Sutherland began his career on the stage, first at the University of Toronto, then in London, England. He has since made dozens of movies in both Canada and the United States, including M* A*S*H, Day of the Locust, Ordinary People, and Backdraft.

Pierre Trudeau (born 1919) Canada's 15th prime minister, Pierre Trudeau was born and raised in Montreal. He received his education at the Universite de Montreal, Harvard University, the Ecole des Sciences Politiques in Paris, and the London School of Economics. His political career began in 1950, when he helped found Cite Libre, a monthly magazine advocating democracy and civil liberties in opposition to the Union National regime of Maurice Duplessis. He entered federal politics as a Liberal in 1965 and was appointed Minister of Justice in 1967. First elected leader of the Liberal party of Canada in 1968, Trudeau served as prime minister for nearly 18 years during some of his nation's most tumultuous times. During his first term, the terrorist organization Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ), fighting for the rights of French Canadians, kidnapped and murdered Quebec Cabinet minister Pierre Laporte. In response to the growing dissatisfaction of French Canadians, Trudeau's administration oversaw the passage of the Official Languages Act, which ensures the recognition of English and French as Canada's two official languages. In dealing with growing inflation and other economic problems, Trudeau tried to centralize and nationalize decision making-a controversial move that almost cost him his position. In 1980, he worked to defeat the Quebec Referendum, which would have moved Quebec toward independence. Trudeau introduced the Canadian Constitution of 1982. This charismatic leader served longer than any other contemporary leader in the modern Western world.

Canada's National Anthem (O'Canada)

"0 Canada" was proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1,1980, 100 years after it was first sung on June 24, 1880. The music was composed by Calixa Lavallée, a well known composer; French lyrics to accompany the music were written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.

Click Here for O Canada

Visiting Canada

From the United States. . . American visitors crossing the border (either way) may be asked to verify their citizenship with a document such as a passport, or a birth or baptismal certificate. Naturalized U.S. citizens should carry a naturalization certificate. Permanent US residents who are not citizens are advised to bring their Alien Registration Receipt Card (Green Card).

From all other countries . . . Citizens of all other countries, except Greenland and residents of St. Pierre et Miquelon, must bring a valid passport. Some may be required to obtain a visitor's visa.

For more information contact Canadian embassy or consulate serving your home country.

Canadian News and Information Links

The Weather Network http://theweathernetwork.com
Canada.com http://www.canada.com
The Globe and Mail http://www.globeandmail.com/