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Communications

Airports [time series]

1,359 total, 1,117 usable; 442 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 322 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

636 major transport aircraft; Air Canada is the major carrier

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

884,272 km total; 712,936 km surfaced (250,023 km paved), 171,336 km earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

3,000 km, including St. Lawrence Seaway

Merchant marine [time series]

78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 555,749 GRT/774,914 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 5 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 12 cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 1 refrigerated cargo, 8 roll-on/roll-off, 1 container, 29 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 10 bulk; note--does not include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes ships

Pipelines [time series]

oil, 23,564 km total crude and refined; natural gas, 74,980 km

Ports [time series]

Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick), St. John's (Newfoundland), Toronto, Vancouver

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

80,095 km total; 79,917 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (includes 129 km electrified); 178 km 0.915-meter narrow gauge (mostly unused); two major transcontinental freight railway systems--Canadian National (government owned) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service--VIA (government operated)

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

excellent service provided by modern media; 18.0 million telephones; stations--900 AM, 29 FM, 53 (1,400 repeaters) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; over 300 satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (including 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and domestic systems

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Mobile Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Communications Command, Canadian Forces Europe, Training Commands

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

2.0% of GDP, or $10 billion (1989 est.)

Military manpower [time series]

males 15-49, 7,174,119; 6,251,492 fit for military service; 187,894 reach military age (17) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 3% of GDP; one of the world's major producers and exporters of grain (wheat and barley); key source of US agricultural imports; large forest resources cover 35% of total land area; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported

Aid [time series]

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $2.2 billion

Budget [time series]

revenues $79.2 billion; expenditures $102.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (FY88 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Canadian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents

Electricity [time series]

103,746,000 kW capacity; 472,580 million kWh produced, 17,960 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1--1.1714 (January 1990), 1.1840 (1989), 1.2307 (1988), 1.3260 (1987), 1.3895 (1986), 1.3655 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$127.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--newsprint, wood pulp, timber, grain, crude petroleum, natural gas, ferrous and nonferrous ores, motor vehicles; partners--US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, USSR

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$247 billion (1987)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April-31 March

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$513.6 billion, per capita $19,600; real growth rate 2.9% (1989 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market

Imports [time series]

$116.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--processed foods, beverages, crude petroleum, chemicals, industrial machinery, motor vehicles, durable consumer goods, electronic computers; partners--US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 2.3% (1989)

Industries [time series]

processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

5.0% (1989)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented economic system, and pattern of production. Since World War II the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. In the 1980s Canada registered one of the highest rates of growth among the OECD nations, averaging about 4%. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada has excellent economic prospects. In mid-1990, however, the long-simmering problems between English- and French-speaking areas became so acute that observers spoke openly of a possible split in the confederation; foreign investors were becoming edgy.

Unemployment rate [time series]

7.5% (1989)

Geography

Climate [time series]

varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

Coastline [time series]

243,791 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than US

Continental shelf [time series]

200 meters or to depth of exploitation;

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

maritime boundary disputes with France (St. Pierre and Miquelon) and US

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

80% of population concentrated within 160 km of US border; continuous permafrost in north a serious obstacle to development

Exclusive fishing zone [time series]

200 nm;

Land boundaries [time series]

8,893 km with US (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)

Land use [time series]

5% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 57% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Natural resources [time series]

nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, crude oil, natural gas

Note [time series]

second-largest country in world (after USSR); strategic location between USSR and US via north polar route

Terrain [time series]

mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Maritime claims (Territorial sea) [time series]

12 nm

Area (Total area) [time series]

9,976,140 km2; land area: 9,220,970 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*

Capital [time series]

Ottawa

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

3,000

Constitution [time series]

amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to Canada 17 April 1982; charter of rights and unwritten customs

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Derek BURNEY; Chancery at 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 785-1400; there are Canadian Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle; US--Ambassador Edward N. NEY; Embassy at 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa (mailing address is P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669); telephone (613) 238-5335; there are US Consulates General in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver

Executive branch [time series]

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band

Independence [time series]

1 July 1867 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Raymond John HNATSHYN (since 29 January 1990); Head of Government--Prime Minister (Martin) Brian MULRONEY (since 4 September 1984); Deputy Prime Minister Donald Frank MAZANKOWSKI (since NA June 1986)

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Commons

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

none

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, DAC, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, NATO, OAS, OECD, PAHO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

National holiday [time series]

Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Progressive Conservative, Brian Mulroney; Liberal, John Turner; New Democratic, Audrey McLaughlin

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 House of Commons--last held 21 November 1988 (next to be held by November 1993); results--Progressive Conservative 43.0%, Liberal 32%, New Democratic Party 20%, other 5%; seats--(295 total) Progressive Conservative 170, Liberal 82, New Democratic Party 43

Government type (Type) [time series]

confederation with parliamentary democracy

People

Birth rate [time series]

14 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

40% British Isles origin, 27% French origin, 20% other European, 1.5% indigenous Indian and Eskimo

Infant mortality rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force [time series]

13,380,000; services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)

Languages (Language) [time series]

English and French (both official)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

74 years male, 81 years female (1990)

Literacy [time series]

99%

Nationality [time series]

noun--Canadian(s); adjective--Canadian

Net migration rate [time series]

5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor [time series]

30.6% of labor force; 39.6% of nonagricultural paid workers

Population [time series]

26,538,229 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

46% Roman Catholic, 16% United Church, 10% Anglican

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.7 children born/woman (1990)