Canada which continent

Canada map also shows that it has huge geographical area extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to Atlantic Ocean in the east; in the northern side it also makes coastline with Arctic Ocean. In terms of area, Canada is worlds second largest country after Russia. The vast area of Canada is occupied by various ethnic groups; some of them are aboriginals and some of them are settled there.

However, there are two important groups i. In the national election on Sept. The Conservatives, led by Brian Mulroney, won the highest political majority in Canadian history. The dominant foreign issue was a free-trade pact with the United States, a treaty bitterly opposed by the Liberal and New Democratic parties.

The conflict led to elections in Nov. The issue of separatist sentiments in French-speaking Quebec flared up again in with the failure of the Meech Lake Accord. The accord was designed to bring Quebec into the constitution while easing its residents' fear of losing their identity within the English-speaking majority by giving it status as a? The economy continued to be mired in a long recession that many blamed on the free-trade agreement. Brian Mulroney's popularity continued to decline, causing him to resign before the next election.

In June the governing Progressive Conservative Party chose Defense Minister Kim Campbell as its leader, making her the first female prime minister in Canadian history. The national election in Oct. The Quebec referendum on secession in Oct. In Nov. After the election, the conservatives rapidly lost steam. In recent years, Canada has introduced some of the world's most liberal social policies. Medical marijuana for the terminally or chronically ill was legalized in ; the country began legally dispensing marijuana by prescription in July In , Ontario and British Columbia legalized same-sex marriage, and more provinces and territories followed in In July , Canada legalized gay marriage throughout the country, becoming one of four nations along with Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain to do so.

Canada sent 2, soldiers to help fight the U. In Dec. Chrtien had announced in that he would not seek a fourth term? In June , Martin was reelected prime minister, but the Liberal Party lost its majority in parliament, which it had dominated for 11 years. In , a scandal involving the misappropriation of government funds by the Liberal Party threatened the stability of Martin's government.

Martin himself was not implicated in the scandal, but his predecessor came under fire. In Jan. Conservative leader Stephen Harper became prime minister in February.

In June , police arrested 17 suspected Islamist terrorists in Toronto and are believed to have foiled a major terrorist attack on the country. In February , Canada's Supreme Court struck down a law that permitted foreign terrorism suspects to be detained indefinitely without charges while waiting for deportation. The overarching principle of fundamental justice that applies here is this: before the state can detain people for significant periods of time, it must accord them a fair judicial process,?

Prime Minister Harper was reelected in October in elections that were held a year ahead of schedule. His Conservative Party defeated the Liberal Party, The Conservatives, however, failed to win a majority in the House of Commons and will form a minority government, the third in four years.

In December , in an unprecedented move, Prime Minister Harper suspended Parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote. If the vote had passed, which was likely since two opposition parties joined to form a coalition, Liberal Party leader, Stephane Dion, would have become Prime Minister. Harper created further controversy later in the month, when he quietly appointed 18 Conservatives to Canada's unelected Senate, breaking his promise not to name additional members to Parliament until it became an elected body.

In the May 2, federal election, the Conservative Party won a parliamentary majority by a slim The New Democrats became the official opposition after the centrist Liberals lose more than half their seats. The election shifted the political landscape in Canada. For seven years no party had the majority in the House of Commons. The election was a big victory for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who won a clear mandate for his conservative party.

The swing toward the conservative party was a sign that the Liberals' base has decreased in size. This is partly because immigrants, who in the past represented a huge part of that base, have shifted to a more conservative viewpoint. Nearby, gunfire erupted inside the Parliament building. A gunman, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, was killed as police rushed to evacuate and secure the building.

Initially, police searched for at least two more possible gunmen, but came to believe that Zehaf-Bibeau, age 32, acted alone. Zehaf-Bibeau had a criminal record and had been recently designated a high-risk traveler by the Canadian government. It was the second assault on a member of Canada's armed forces in three days. On Oct. Police chased Martin Rouleau-Coulture, the driver of the car, who was shot and killed after a confrontation. In Oct. The Liberal Party took Election observers viewed the outcome as a result of a public that had grown tired of Harper's heavy-handed conservative focus during his nine year reign.

Trudeau succeeded Harper as prime minister 47 years after Pierre Elliott Trudeau, his father, held the office. The 43 year-old Trudeau also became the country's second-youngest prime minister and the first to follow a parent into the position. Prime Minister Harper, who entered office stating he intended to bring a new, more positive tone to bilateral relations while still defending Canadian interests, held his first meeting with President Bush at the March , Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America SPP meeting in Cancun, Mexico.

The two nations share the world's largest and most comprehensive trading relationship, which supports millions of jobs in each country. Canada's importance to the United States is not just a border-state phenomenon: Canada is the leading export market for 39 of the 50 U. States, and ranked in the top three for another 8 States.

In fact, Canada is a larger market for U. The comprehensive U. NAFTA, which embraces the million people of the three North American countries, expanded upon FTA commitments to move toward reducing trade barriers and establishing agreed upon trade rules. It has also resolved long-standing bilateral irritants and liberalized rules in several areas, including agriculture, services, energy, financial services, investment, and government procurement.

Canada is an urban services-dependent economy with a large manufacturing base. Since Canada is the largest export market for most states, the U. At the federal level, Canada is officially bilingual, with English and French being the two main languages. Being the product of massive-scale immigration, Canada is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse countries in the world. Canada places a strong emphasis on inclusiveness and equality for all its citizens. For instance, the maple leaf is seen on the previous and current flags of Canada date back to the early eighteenth century.

Literature in Canada is mostly divided into English and French languages since both are rooted in the literary traditions of both Britain and France. Figures such as Tom Thomson dominate the Canadian visual art, and he is the most famous Canadian painter. However, it also shares some significant sports leagues with the US. Is it true they have free universal healthcare? A lot of us wouldn't know where Canada is on a map. It's that massive piece of land, in fact, the second largest country in the world after Russia, that sits on top of their well-known neighbour - the United States of America.

And no, Canada is not a part of the States. It is one of the three countries in North America.