| Geography | Canada |  = Fields  = World Records  = Dictionary  = Bar graph  = Distribution map  = Fields History  = Definitions |
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Location:
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Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US |
Geographic coordinates:
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60 00 N, 95 00 W |
Map references:
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North America |
Area:
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total: 9,984,670 sq km
land: 9,093,507 sq km
water: 891,163 sq km |
Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than the US |
Land boundaries:
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total: 8,893 km
border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
note: Canada is the World's largest country that borders only one country |
Coastline:
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202,080 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Climate:
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varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north |
Terrain:
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mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m |
Natural resources:
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iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, rare earth elements, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower |
Land use:
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arable land: 4.57%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 94.78% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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8,550 sq km (2008) |
Total renewable water resources:
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3,300 cu km (1985) |
Total renewable water resources - per capita:
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96,972 cubic meters per capita |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 44.72 cu km/yr (20%/69%/12%)
per capita: 1,386 cu m/yr (1996) |
Natural hazards:
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continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains
volcanism: the vast majority of volcanoes in Western Canada's Coast Mountains remain dormant |
Environment - current issues:
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air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities |
Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation |
Geography - note:
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second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border |
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This page was last updated on 3 February, 2012 |
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