HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF CANADA Ch. 7

GOVERNING CANADA  Canada was recognized as an independent nation from Britain in  Symbolic head of state remains the British monarch – Queen Elizabeth II  Has a parliamentary government  Legislative and executive branches are equal  Prime minister is the head of government.  Senate – appointed  House of Commons – elected  Each province has its own government.

ECONOMY OF CANADA  One of the richest countries in the world  Highly industrialized and urbanized  Manufacturing and service industries fuel the nation’s economic engines.  Canada’s primary industries  Farming – 5% of land is suitable  Logging – leading producer of newsprint  Mining – uranium, zinc, gold, and silver  Leading exporter of oil  Fishing – bordering the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans  Overfishing has led to a decline in supply

 13% earn a living by manufacturing.  Automobiles  Household appliances  High-tech equipment  Mostly found in the Core provinces or Canadian Heartland  More than 70% of the GDP (gross domestic product) comes from service industries  Finance  Trade  Tourism – fastest growing industries  Insurance

 The US is the chief trading partner of Canada  NAFTA – signed in 1994 – pact between Mexico, US and Canada made trade between them easier as it took away extra taxes between the three countries  North American Free Trade Agreement

CULTURE OF CANADA  First settlers were the Inuit  Language – officially a bilingual country – English and French  Religion – Protestant and Roman Catholic; Muslims, Jewish, and other religions are found – 16% have no religious affiliation  Population - 35 million  Most of the population lives along a 100 mile strip of land just north of the US border  Enjoy a high standard of living  Well educated – 99% literacy rate  Sports include – skating, fishing, ice hockey, skiing, and hunting