Country Summary
Introduction
Background
Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867, while retaining ties to the British crown. Canada aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.
Geography
Area
total: 9,984,670 sq km
land: 9,093,507 sq km
water: 891,163 sq km
Climate
varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Natural resources
bauxite, iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, uranium, rare earth elements, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower
People and Society
Population
38,232,593 (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups
Canadian 32.3%, English 18.3%, Scottish 13.9%, French 13.6%, Irish 13.4%, German 9.6%, Chinese 5.1%, Italian 4.6%, North American Indian 4.4%, East Indian 4%, Ukrainian 3.9%, other 47.7% (2016 est.)
Languages
English (official) 58.7%, French (official) 22%, Punjabi 1.4%, Italian 1.3%, Spanish 1.3%, German 1.3%, Cantonese 1.2%, Tagalog 1.2%, Arabic 1.1%, other 10.5% (2011 est.)
Religions
Catholic 39% (includes Roman Catholic 38.8%, other Catholic .2%), Protestant 20.3% (includes United Church 6.1%, Anglican 5%, Baptist 1.9%, Lutheran 1.5%, Pentecostal 1.5%, Presbyterian 1.4%, other Protestant 2.9%), Orthodox 1.6%, other Christian 6.3%, Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 1.5%, Sikh 1.4%, Buddhist 1.1%, Jewish 1%, other 0.6%, none 23.9% (2011 est.)
Population growth rate
0.75% (2022 est.)
Government
Government type
federal parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm; federal and state authorities and responsibilities regulated in constitution
Capital
name: Ottawa
Executive branch
chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Mary SIMON (since 6 July 2021)
head of government: Prime Minister Justin Pierre James TRUDEAU (Liberal Party) (since 4 November 2015)
Legislative branch
description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of:
Senate or Senat (105 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and can serve until age 75)
House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (338 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote with terms up to 4 years)
Economy
Economic overview
one of the world’s largest economies; leading global financier and macroeconomic partner; largest US trading partner; key timber and oil and gas industries; Canada sends over half its development aid to the World Bank; key “blue economy” developer
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1,742,790,000,000 (2020 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$45,900 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products
wheat, rapeseed, maize, barley, milk, soybeans, potatoes, oats, peas, pork
Industries
transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum, natural gas
Exports
$477.31 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
US 73% (2019)
Exports - commodities
crude petroleum, cars and vehicle parts, gold, refined petroleum, natural gas (2019)
Imports
$510.29 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
US 57%, China 11%, Mexico 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities
cars and vehicle parts, delivery trucks, crude petroleum, refined petroleum (2019)
Exchange rates
Canadian dollars (CAD) per US dollar -
Page last updated: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
