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CanadaCanadaisaNorthAmericancountryconsistingoftenprovincesandthreeterritories.Locatedinthenorthernpartofthecontinent,itextendsfromtheAtlanticOceanintheeasttothePacificOceaninthewestandnorthwardintotheArcticOcean.Itistheworld'ssecondlargestcountrybytotalarea.Canada'scommonborderwiththeUnitedStatestothesouthandnorthwestisthelongestintheworld.CanadaoccupiesamajornorthernportionofNorthAmerica,sharingthelandborderswiththecontiguousUnitedStatestothesouthandtheU.S.stateofAlaskatothenorthwest,stretchingfromtheAtlanticOceanintheeasttothePacificOceaninthewest;tothenorthliestheArcticOcean.Bytotalarea(includingitswaters),Canadaisthesecond-largestcountryintheworld,afterRussia.Bylandarea,Canadaranksfourth.Canadahasonethirdoftheworld'ssupplyoffreshwater.Therearefivegreatlakesinthesouth,andtherearemanyothers,especiallyinthenorth.Mostoftheelectricityisproducedbywater.Thecountryhasagreatdealofcoal,oilandnaturalgas,andtheseareallexploitedforenergy.Muchofthecountryiscoveredbyforests,andwoodiscutandsoldallovertheworld.Canadaisalsotheworld'sbiggestproducerofthekindofpaperwhichisusedfornewspapers.FishingisalsoveryimportantforCanadians.Fishfromeastandwestcoastsissoldtomanyothercountries.About40%oftheCanadianpopulationareofBritishdescent,while27%areofFrenchorigin.Another20%areofotherEuropeanbackground,about10%areAsianorigin,andsome3%areofaboriginalorMétis(mixedaboriginalandEuropean)background.Canadaisafederationoftenprovinces(Alberta,BritishColumbia,Manitoba,NewBrunswick,NewfoundlandandLabrador,NovaScotia,Ontario,PrinceEdwardIsland,Quebec,andSaskatchewan)andthreeterritories(NorthwestTerritories,Yukon,andNunavut).ItisgovernedasaparliamentarydemocracyandaconstitutionalmonarchywithQueenElizabethIIasitsheadofstate.Oneoftheworld'shighlydevelopedcountries,Canadahasadiversifiedeconomythatisreliantuponitsabundantnaturalresourcesandupontrade—particularlywiththeUnitedStates,withwhichCanadahashadalongandcomplexrelationship.ItisamemberoftheG7,G8,G20,NATO,OECD,WTO,Commonwealth,Francophonie,OAS,APEC,andUN.Withtheeighth-highestHumanDevelopmentIndexglobally,ithasoneofthehigheststandardsoflivingintheworld.ThenationalflagofCanada,alsoknownastheMapleLeaf,andl'Unifolié(Frenchfortheone-leafed),isaredflagwithawhitesquareinitscentre,featuringastylized11-pointedredmapleleaf.ThewidthoftheMapleLeafflagistwicetheheight.ThewhitefieldisaCanadianpale(asquarecentralbandinaverticaltribandflag,namedafterthisflag),andeachborderingredfieldisexactlyhalfitssize.Canada'stwoofficiallanguagesareEnglishandFrench.EnglishandFrenchhaveequalstatusinfederalcourts,Parliament,andinallfederalinstitutions.Citizenshavetheright,wherethereissufficientdemand,toreceivefederalgovernmentservicesineitherEnglishorFrench,andofficial-languageminoritiesareguaranteedtheirownschoolsinallprovincesandterritories.OttawaisthecapitalofCanada,thesecondlargestcityintheProvinceofOntario,andthefourthlargestcityinthecountry.LocatedintheOttawaValley,thecityliesintheeasternportionofSouthernOntarioontheOttawaRiver,amajorwaterwayformingthelocalboundarybetweentheprovincesofOntarioandQuebec.TorontoistheprovincialcapitalofOntarioandthelargestcityinCanada.ItislocatedinSouthernOntarioonthenorthwesternshoreofLakeOntario.Withover2.5millionresidents,itisthefifthmostpopulouscityinNorthAmerica.Itsmetropolitanareawithover5millionresidentsistheseventhlargesturbanregioninNorthAmerica.TheNiagaraFallsisthemostpowerfulwaterfallsinNorthAmerica.ThesevoluminouswaterfallsaresituatedontheNiagaraRiver,whichdrainsLakeErieintoLakeOntarioandformstheinternationalborderbetweentheCanadianprovinceofOntarioandtheU.S.stateofNewYork.TheNiagaraFallsisrenownedbothfortheirbeautyandasavaluablesourceofhydroelectricpower.VancouverisacoastalharborcityinCanada.LocatedintheLowerMainland,GreaterVancouveristhethird-largestmetropolitanareainthecountryandmostpopulousinWesternCanada.Whileforestryremainsitslargestindustry,Vancouveriswellknownasanurbancentresurroundedbynature,makingtourismitssecond-largestindustry.VancouverhasrankedhighlyinworldwidelivablecityrankingsformorethanadecadeaccordingtobusinessmagazineassessmentsanditwasalsoacknowledgedbyEconomistIntelligenceUnitasthefirstcitytorankamongthetop-tenoftheworld'smostlivablecitiesforfivestraightyears.Ithashostedmanyinternationalconferencesandevents.BanffNationalParkisCanada'soldestnationalpark,establishedin1885intheRockyMountains.Thepark,located110–180kilometerswestofCalgaryintheprovinceofAlberta,encompasses6,641squarekilometersofmountainousterrain,withnumerousglaciersandicefields,denseconiferousforest,andalpinelandscapes.