Canada
occupies much of the northern part of North America, being the the
second-largest country in the world. It is bordered the Atlantic Ocean
(east), Pacific Ocean and
Alaska (west), the Arctic Ocean (north),
and the United States (south).
The country is politically divided into ten provinces and three territories.
The provinces are Alberta, British Columbia,
Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario,
Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Territories:
Yukon,
Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
The country covers 9,984,670 km2 and several geoclimatic regions. Canada also encompasses vast maritime territories and an extensive coastline on three oceans. Boreal forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in northerly Arctic regions and through the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and the relatively flat Canadian Prairies in the southwest facilitate productive agriculture. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River, in the southeast, where lowlands host much of Canada's population. The highest point is Mount Logan 5,959 m in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon. The longest river is Mackenzie River, 4,241 km. The major seaports are Halifax, Saint John (New Brunswick) and Vancouver (BC). Baffin Island, in Nunavut, is the largest island. Canada has several parks that protect its diverse ecosystems.
