Canada

Canada is situated on the whole northern part of North America. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. Other big cities are Toronto, Quebec, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg or Calgary. The name Canada is believed to have originated with the first inhabitants since the Huron-Iroquois Indians used the word ?kanata? for settlement. Canada is the second largest country in the world with its area of about 10 million square kilometers. The number of population of Canada is about 32 million people. The density of population is very low. It’s only from 2 to 3 inhabitants within one square kilometre.

Most people of Canada live in large urban centres located 200 miles of the southern border. The rest of the country is rather cold and these bad living conditions make uninhabitable more than 85% of the land. There are only isolated settlements , trading stations and mining settlements in these areas. More than 40% of the population are of British origin, 30% of French origin, 20% of German, Polish, Italian and Dutch origin and the rest are Eskimos and Indians. The name Canada is of Indian origin, too. Indians used the work ?kanata? which means ?village?. In all the Canadian area there are about 185 thousand Indians and about 10000 or 20000 Eskimos, however, their number is decreasing. The main occupation of Indians and Eskimos is fishing, hunting and reindeer raising.

All the mountain ranges are called the Cordilleras (The Rocky Mountains, Mackenzie Mountains, Melville Hills). On the eastern coast there are lowlands. Between the mountains in the West and in the East there are large prairies suitablefor agriculture especially for the wheat growing because the soil is very fertile there. Important rivers are the Mackenzie, the Yukon, the Franzer, the Columbia and the St. Lawrence River. The Mackenzie River flows out from the Great Slave Lake into the Arctic Ocean. The Franzer flows into the Pacific Ocean and the St. Lawrence River, which was very important during the history of Canada, flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Great Lakes are situated in the southern part of Canada. They are Lake Superier, Huron, Erie, Ontario and Michigan. The border of the U.S.A. Goes through these lakes. The exception is Lake Michigan belonging only to the U.S.A. The famous Niagara Falls are situated between Lake Erie and Ontario. The height of them is 49 m. Other beautiful lakes are the Lake of Wood, Lake Winnipeg, Reindeer Lake, Anthabasca, Great Slave Lake or Great Bear Lake. As for the climate most of the inhabited parts of Canada have a continental climate which means summers are hot and long while winters are rather cold. On the Pacific coast the climate is milder and the uninhabited north there is an arctic climate.

Canada consist of 10 provinces and 2 territories. The first part of the provinces is called the maritime province. They are Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and New Foundland. Then there are central provinces Quebec and Ontario and the prairie provinces Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The last one is British Columbia situated on the Pacific Coast. In the northern part of the state there are Yukon Territory and Nort-West Territory.

Canada is an English and French speaking country. Most inhabitants in Quebec speak French. Originally Canada was called New France because it was a French colony. The first settlers were French arriving from Europe in 17th century. They sailed up St. Lawrence River and built up settlements in the St. Lawrence Valley. In 1763 the French were defeated by the British and Canada became a British colony. They didn’t take part in the War of Independence and remained loyal to Britain because they were afraid of becoming a part of the U.S.A. and that was exactly what they didn’t want to. But it doesn?t mean they were satisfied with British rule. There was a strong movement for political independence during the 19th century in Canada. This forced Great Britain to establish Canada as a Dominion in 1867. Originally Canada had only 4 provinces : Nova Scotia, Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario. The other British possessions in North America joined Canada later. Great Britain lost its political influence of the U.S.A. increased. Now the English language spoken in Canada sounds more like American than British English.

Canada’s natural resources are well-known. They are gold, uranium, other metal ores, nafta and gas. Uranium from Canada makes a 40% of the world’s total production of this ore. The main mining province is Alberta. Hamilton and Gyndey are the main centres of iron and steel industries.In Montreal and Toronto ships are made and in Chatham and Ottawa there is the car industry. Hydro-electric industry is highly developed especially in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia with their large forests provide wood for buildings, furniture and paper production. The agriculture is highly productive. Canada is the fifth largest producer of wheat and the second largest wheat exporter. Other important agricultural products are live-stock, oats, vegetables, fruits, tobacco etc.

Canada is a part of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Its status is a Dominion. The official head is the British Queen Elizabeth II. In Canada she is represented by the Governor General. The actual head of the executive power is the Prime Minister. He selects his own Cabinet. Canada is a federation of 10 provinces. There is a Federal Government for the whole area of Canada and Provincial Governments if there are provinces. The supreme law-making body is the Federal Parliament. It consist of the House of Commons and the Senate. The members of the House of Commons are elected for five years election terms. Members of the Senate are nominated for life long service by the Governor General.

reindeer ? sob
ore ? ruda
mining ? těžební,důlní průmysl
province ? obor, působiště
steel industries ? ocelářské průmysly
iron ? železo
wheat ? pšenice
executive ? výkonná moc, vedoucí

javor – maple