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Canada is a vast country - the second largest country in the world after Russia. Canada encompasses territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the high Arctic to the northern border of the continental U.S.A. Although very much a "northern" country the terrain and geography of Canada is very diverse. As well as the popular image of Canada as a country of pristine forests and snowy vistas, there are also deserts and badlands, temperate rain forests and long and wide beaches. Canada has huge inland lakes, seemingly eternal prairies and evergreen forests, woodlands and meadows. Canada's coastlines are thousands of miles long, with fjords, and long, wild rivers leading to the oceans.
In contrast to the expanses of open country, Canada also has its share of urban areas. The majority of the population and heavy industry is in the two provinces of Québec and Ontario, but large and modern cities are spread across the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, all within a few hours drive, at most, from the border with the United States. Commerce is active throughout the country, Vancouver in the west and Halifax in the east are both major ports with trade to every corner of the world. Alberta is a major oil and gas producer. The Prairie Provinces (Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan) with their vast fields of grain help to feed the world. The fisheries on both the West and the East Coast are widespread. Oil and natural gas have recently been discovered off the East Coast. The Trans-Canada Highway links the country from coast to coast, there is an extensive network of railways, and a widespread network of airline routes serving both major and remote communities.
The rural areas are less populated, with more and more people leaving for the larger towns and cities. The lands to the north are much less developed, but as some of these areas are utilized for their ample natural resources, populations are growing. |
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