Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America. It is the world's second-largest country by total area, and extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean . Canada shares land borders with the United States to the northwest and south.

Inhabited first by aboriginal peoples, Canada was founded in 1867 as a union of British colonies (some of which were formerly French colonies ). It gained independence from the United Kingdom in an incremental process that ended in 1982. It remains a Commonwealth Realm with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state.

Canada is a federal constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy. Comprising ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. A technologically advanced and industrialized nation, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade — particularly with the United States , with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship.

• 3-Letter abbreviation: CAN
• 2-Letter abbreviation: CA
• Country common name: Canada
• Country official name: Canada
• Continent: North & Central America/Caribbean
• Capital: Ottawa
• Other major cities: Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, Quebec City, Saskatoon, Regina, Victoria, Edmonton, Winnipeg
• Currency: Canadian dollar
• Official languages: English , French
• Motto: A Mari Usque Ad Mare ( Latin ) "From Sea to Sea"
• National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

• Surface area:  9,984,670 km²
• Highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m
• Neighbouring countries: borders United States, 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
• Neighbouring seas and oceans: North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north

• Population (in millions): 33,390,000 (2007 estimate)
• Gross domestic product (GDP) per inhabitant (in US dollars): $35,133 (16th in the world )
• Density (inhabitants per km²): 3.2 /km² =8.3 /sq mi (219th in the world)
• Average age (in years): 39.1
• Life expectancy at birth (in years): 80.34

• Country international telephone code: + 1
• Internet code: .ca
• Number of Internet users: 21.9 million (2005)