About Canada

Facts About Canada - Page Four

Ethnic Origin
Canadians, including Aboriginal, who claim something other than British or French as their origin represent 42 percent of the population, or 11 million people. Among the largest ethnic groups are the German, Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Polish, Chinese, South Asian, Jewish, West Indian, Portuguese and Scandinavian.

Culture
The Aboriginal cultures are the only truly indigenous cultures of Canada, since all other Canadians were originally immigrants. They began moving to Canada in the 17th century, bringing with them their manner of dress, food preferences and customs. Canada opened its doors to immigration from all over the world in the early 20th century; in 1988, the multicultural character of the country was officially recognized when the Government passed the Multiculturalism Act.

Education
The educational system varies from province to province and includes six to eight years of elementary school, four or five years of secondary school and three or four years at the university undergraduate level. The 1991 census revealed that among Canadians aged 15 and over, 56.9 percent had attended secondary school, 31.7 percent had gone to a trade school or other type of post-secondary institution, and 1.9 million -- 11.4 percent of the population -- had a university degree.

Adult Literacy
According to 1994 data, literacy is strongly related to formal education in Canada. As we move into the information age, literacy becomes increasingly important. Literacy rates in Canada compare favorably to those in other industrialized nations. In fact, the United Nations estimates that out of one hundred Canadian adults, all but one are able to read, write and understand a simple sentence. This represents as high a rate of adult literacy as anywhere in the world.

Sports
The most popular sports in Canada include swimming, ice hockey, cross-country and alpine skiing, baseball, tennis, basketball and golf. Ice hockey, Canadian football and baseball are the favorite spectator sports.

Main Natural Resources
The principal natural resources are natural gas, oil, gold, coal, copper, iron ore, nickel, potash, uranium and zinc, along with wood and water.

Gross Domestic Product
The GDP measures the value of all goods and services produced by a country during a year. Canada's GDP was $577.8 billion US dollars in 1996.

Leading Industries
These include automobile manufacturing, pulp and paper, iron and steel work, machinery and equipment manufacturing, mining, extraction of fossil fuels, forestry and agriculture.

Exports
Canadian exports valued $274.88 billion Canadian in 1996. These included transportation equipment, capital equipment, pulp and paper, fuels, wood, minerals and aluminum.

Imports
Canada's imports totaled $232.94 billion Canadian in 1996. This includes transportation equipment, capital equipment, electronics and plastics.