-second largest country in the world in area

-Despite Canada’s great size, it is one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries.

-Canada is officially bilingual in English and French, reflecting the country’s history as ground once contested by two of Europe’s great powers.

-Canada shares a 5,525-mile- (8,890-km-) long border with the US (including Alaska)—the longest border in the world not patrolled by military forces—and the overwhelming majority of its population lives within 185 miles (300 km) of the international boundary

-Capital: Ottawa (Ontario)

-Today, according to the Parliament of Canada’s Canadian Multiculturalism report, the country is home to people from over 250 ethnic origins

-Ethnicity: 28% English descent, 23% French descent, 3% German descent, 2% First Nations, as well as significant communities of Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Greek, Polish and Chinese origin.

-Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. At last count, there may be as many as two million, with 563 lakes larger than 100 square kilometres.