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Geography |
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Second-largest country in world (after Russia). Located in Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and North
Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US. Nearly 90% of the population is concentrated
within 161 km of the US/Canada border.
Area: 9,976,140 sq km (slightly larger than US)
Land: 9,220,970 sq km
Water: 755,170 sq km
Land boundaries:
Total: 8,893 km
Border Countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline: 243,791 km
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast.
Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Mount Logan 5,950 m
Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash,
silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas.
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Climate
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There are many climatic variations in this huge country, ranging from the permanently frozen icecaps north of the 70th parallel to the luxuriant
vegetation of British Columbia's west coast. On the whole, though, Canada has four very distinct seasons, especially in the regions lying along the
U.S. border.
Daytime summer temperatures can rise to 35°C and higher, while lows
of -25°C are not uncommon in winter. More moderate temperatures are the norm in spring and fall.
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Time Zones
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Canada has six time zones: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, Atlantic, Newfoundland Time.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is applied in most of Canadian provinces.
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People
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Population: 30,337,334 (July 1997 est.)
Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other European 20%, Amerindian
1.5%, other, mostly Asian 11.5%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 45%, United Church 12%, Anglican 8%, other 35%.
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Language
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Languages: English, French
Canada is a bilingual country; English and French are the two official languages. About 25% of the population is French-speaking, with the greatest concentration in the Province of Quebec.
You will see many signs and services offered in both languages in Canada.
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Holidays
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| New Year's Day
| 1 January
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| Good Friday
| the Friday before Easter
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| Victoria Day
| the Monday just before or on 24 May
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| Canada Day
| 1 July
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| Labour Day
| the first Monday in September
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| Thanksgiving
| the second Monday in October
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| Remembrance Day
| 11 November
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| Christmas Day
| 25 December
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| Boxing Day
| 26 December
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[NOTE] (1) When these holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday, workers are entitled to the following Monday off.
(2) Additional holidays may be established by the government of a province, territory or city.
(3) Government, banks, most business offices are closed on these holidays.
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Passport and Visa
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Citizens or permanent residents of the United States require a birth or baptismal certificate, voter's registration card, resident alien card, green card or US passport
to enter Canada. All other international visitors require valid passports, and, in some cases, visas.
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Currency, Credit Cards, Taxes
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Currency: 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1 - 1.53 (August 1998), 1.3486 (January 1997), 1.3635 (1996),
1.37241 (1995), 1.3656 (1994), 1.2901 (1993), 1.2087 (1992).
U.S. Dollars: U.S. Dollars are accepted at tourism-related commercial places in Canada.
Credit cards: Major credit cards accepted.
Traveller checks: Most traveller checks cashed.
Taxes:
Goods and Services Tax (GST): about 7%
Provincial Sales Tax (PST): about 7%
[NOTE]
(1) Visitors to Canada can claim a rebate of the GST they paid on certain goods they take out of Canada, and for GST on accommodation if their stay is less than 30 days.
(2) Cash rebates can be claimed by submitting original receipts at a participating Duty-Free store, or mailed with an application form (available at Travel InfoCenter) to:
Visitor Rebate Program, Revenue Canada, Summerside Tax Centre, Summerside, PE C1N 6C6, Canada.
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Tipping
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Tips are generally given to restaurant waiters for their good services at a rate of 10-15%.
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Measurements
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The metric system is Canada standard measurement system.
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Electricity
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Electrical appliances in Canada use 110-volt, 60-cycle current. Do not bring appliances that cannot use this current when you travel to Canada.
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Driving
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Trans-Canada Highway
Today there are more than 300,000 km of surfaced roads and 530,000 km of unpaved roads across Canada.
The Trans-Canada Highway, completed in 1962, is the longest national highway in the world at 7,775 km.
Drive on Right
In Canada, traffic drives on the right-hand side.
Driver's Licence
You must have a valid driver's licence to drive a car in Canada. Your foreign driver's licence may be valid for a short time.
Check with a Motor Vehicle Branch or local police station before you drive a car.
Speed Limits in Kilometers (Km)
The metric system is used in Canada, including posted speed limits. The speed limit is usually 90-100 kilometers (about 55-62 miles) per hour on expressways;
80 kilometers (about 50 miles) per hour on secondary roads.
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Telephone
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Emergency Number:
Police, Fire, or Ambulance: 911
Operator Assistance: 0
Directory Assistance: 411
International Calls:
To place a call to countries outside of North America or to Mexico, Dial:
011 + Country Code + Local Number
Telephones: 15.3 million (1990)
Telephone system: Excellent service provided by modern technology.
Domestic : Domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations.
International: 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4
Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region).
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Diplomatic representation in the US
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The Canadian Embassy, 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 1-202-682-1740
Fax: 1-202-682-7726
Consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis,
New York, and Seattle
Consulates: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton, San
Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.
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Diplomatic representation from the US
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U.S. Embassy, 100 Wellington Street, Ottawa K1P 5T1
Mailing address: P. O. Box 866, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430
Phone : 1-613-238-5335, 4470
Fax: 1-613-238-5720
Consulates general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver.
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Destination Guide
