Noteworthy facts about Canada

1. Independence

• Canada was founded on July 1, 1867
• At present:
  • Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
  • Governor General: Madame Michaelle Jean (3rd woman to hold this position)
  • Prime Minister: Mr. Stephen Harper (Leader of the Conservative Party)
  • Supreme Court: Madame Beverley McLachlin
  • National Patron: Saint Jean de Brébeuf

2. Area

• 9,984,670 square kilometres
• 243,791 kilometres of ocean shore
• Highest peak: Mount Logan, 5,959 metres high, in the Yukon Territory
• Lowest level: zero metre at the shore of the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans
• Centre of Canada: Arviat community in Nunavut
• From east to west: 5, 514 kilometres
• From north to south: 4634 kilometres

3. Population

• 33,207,903 (2008 data)
• 85% in urban areas, 15% in rural areas
• Average family size: 3 members in each family (2006 data)

4. Education

• Children must attend school until the age of 16
• Education budget: 6.6% of national budget (2000 data)
• Number of children attending elementary schools and high schools: 5,289,031 (2004 census)
• Number of universities: 92 (2008 data)
• Number of full-time university students: 757,000
• Number of colleges: 149 (2004 data)
• Number of full-time college students: 408,781

5. Healthcare

• Free healthcare for all Canadians
• Healthcare budget: 10.4% national budget
• Average life expectancy is 82.7 years for women and 78 years for men
• Childbirth rate: 10.5 per 1000, Mortality rate: 7.3 per 1000

6. Economy

• Gross National Products (GNP): $ 1,531.427 Billion (2007 data)
• Total import: $ 415.7636 Billion (2007)
• Total export: $ 465. 3984 Billion (2007)
• Inflation rate: 2.2% (2008)
• Average individual income: $ 32,400

7. Immigration

• Approximately, Canada takes in ¼ million immigrants every year. In 2006 Canada accepted 251,639 immigrants.
• In addition to immigrants, Canada welcomes tourists from all over the world. For example in 2005, the number of arriving tourists include:
  • From the United States: 14,390,000
  • From the United Kingdom: 888,000
  • From Japan: 398,000
  • From Germany: 311,000
  • From Australia: 179,000
  • From Holland: 118,000
  • From China: 113,000

8. Vietnamese in Canada

According to 2006 census:

• There were 180,125 Vietnamese living in Canada. This number is expected to increase to 200,000 in 2009.
• Among these 83,300 live in Ontario, 33,815 in Québec, 30,835 in B.C., 25,640 in Alberta.
• In terms of religion, 48% are Buddhists, 22% Catholics, 3% Anglican and 24% do not belong to any religion.

9. Statutory holidays

• New Year’s Day, January 1st
• Good Friday, the Friday before Easter (10 April 2009)
• Easter Monday, the Monday following Easter (13 April 2009)
• Victoria Day, the Monday before May 25th (18 May 2009)
• Canada Day, July 1st
• Labour Day, 1st Monday of September (7 September 2009)
• Thanksgiving Day, the 2nd Monday of October (12 Oct 2009)
• Remembrance Day, 11th of November
• Christmas, 25th of December
• Boxing Day, the day following Christmas, December 26th

10. National Capital Ottawa

In the beginning, Ottawa was the name of an area belonging to the Odawa indigenous people of the Algonquin tribe. In 1800, Philemon Wright was the first white male settler in this area. On December 31, 1857, Queen Victoria officially selected Ottawa to be the capital of Province of Canada, consisting of Ontario and Québec at that time. Presently the national capital region covers both Ottawa in Ontario and Gatineau in Québec, with an area of 5318 square kilometres. Currently, Ottawa is considered the place with the highest concentration of engineers, scientists and brightest scholars in the country.