International Security Bulletin

Canada

Capital: Ottawa

The Canada Bulletin

Weekly Brief: April 13, 2015

Africa One of the gunmen responsible for the attack on Kenya’s Garissa University College last week, which killed 148 people, was the son of a Kenyan district official. He had been missing for over a year, since dropping out of law school. His father has been cooperating with authorities since reporting his son missing last […]

History

A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically, the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across the world's longest unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care, education, social services, and economic competitiveness, as well as responding to the particular concerns of predominantly francophone Quebec. Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.

Geography

Metric Units

Total Area 9,984,670 sq km
Land Boundaries 8,893 km
Border Countries US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline 202,080 km
Terrain mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Minimum Elevation 0 m
Maximum Elevation 5,959 m
Climate varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Natural Resources iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, rare earth elements, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower
Arable Land 4.3%
Permanent Crops 0.49%

Economy

Gross Domestic Product $1.45 trillion
GDP (per capita) $41,500
GDP Growth 1.9%
Unemployment Rate 7.3%
Population in Poverty 9.4%
GINI Index 32.1

Budget & Debt

Expenditures $746.8 billion
Revenue $679.3 billion
Current Account Balance $-59.92 billion
External Debt $1.18 trillion

Trade

Exports $481.7 billion
Export Items motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment
Export Partners US 73.7%, UK 4.2% (2011)
Imports $480.9 billion
Import Items machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods
Import Partners US 49.5%, China 10.8%, Mexico 5.5% (2011)

People

Population 34,568,211
Population Growth 0.77%
Ethnic Groups British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%
Religion Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)
Life Expectancy 81.57 years
Infant Mortality 0.99 deaths/1,000 live births
Maternal Mortality 1.1 deaths/100,000 live births

Energy

Electricity Production 580.6 billion kWh
Electricity Consumption 504.8 billion kWh
From Fossil Fuels 28.8%
From Nuclear 10.1%
From Hydroelectric 57%
From Renewable Sources 3.9%