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General Information
Area: 9,958,319 sq km (3,844,928 sq miles).
Population: 30,493,433 (official estimate 1999).
Population Density: 3.1 per sq km.
Capital: Ottawa. Population: 1,010,498 (1996, including Hull).
GEOGRAPHY: Canada is bounded to the west by the Pacific Ocean and Alaska, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the northeast by Greenland, and to the south by the ‘Lower 48’ of the USA. The polar ice cap lies to the north. The landscape is diverse, ranging from the Arctic tundra of the north to the great prairies of the central area. Westward are the Rocky Mountains, and in the southeast are the Great Lakes, the St Lawrence River and Niagara Falls. The country is divided into ten provinces and three territories. A more detailed description of each province can be found under the separate provincial entries.
Government: Constitutional Monarchy. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson since 1999. Head of Government: Prime Minister Jean Chrétien since 1993.
Language: Bilingual: French and English. The use of the two languages reflects the mixed colonial history – Canada has been under both British and French rule.
Religion: 46.2 per cent Roman Catholic, 17.5 per cent United Church of Canada, 11.8 per cent Anglican, 24.5 per cent other Christian denominations and other religions.
Time: Canada spans six time zones. Information on which time zone applies where may be found in the regional entries following this general introduction. The time zones are:
Pacific Standard Time: GMT - 8.
Mountain Standard Time: GMT - 7.
Central Standard Time: GMT - 6.
Eastern Standard Time: GMT - 5.
Atlantic Standard Time: GMT - 4.
Newfoundland Standard Time: GMT - 3.5.
Note: From the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, one hour is added for Daylight Saving Time (except in Saskatchewan).
Electricity: 110 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style (flat) two-pin plugs are standard.
Communications:
Telephone
Most public telephones operate using 25-cent coins. There is a reduced rate Mon-Fri 1800-0900, Sat 1200 to Mon 0900. For long-distance calls, telephone cards are available. Credit card telephones are to be found in larger centres. Full IDD is available. Country code: 1. Outgoing international code: 011.
Mobile telephone
Digital PCS (1900MHz) services area available in and around major centres, while older analogue and digital cellular networks are available in less populated areas. A ‘dual mode’ handset is required outside the digital service areas. Network operators include Bell Mobility (website: www.bellmobility.ca), Telus Mobility (website: www.telusmobility.com) and Rogers AT&T (website: www.rogers.com). GSM network operators include Microcell, operating under the Fido brand name (website: www.canadagsm.com) and Rogers AT&T. Handsets can be hired from Roadpost (tel: (905) 272 5665 or (888) 290 1616; e-mail: info@roadpost.com; website: www.roadpost.com), although it may be cheaper to buy a pay-as-you-go phone.
Fax
Services are available in commercial bureaux and most hotels all day at locally agreed rates.
Internet
ISPs include Sympatico (website: www.sympatico.ca) and Inter.net (website: www.ca.inter.net). There are Internet cafes all over the country. Internet terminals are usually available at airports and in photocopy shops.
Telegram
These are handled by Canadian National Telecommunications or Canadian Pacific, and any telegrams must be telephoned or handed in to the nearest Canadian Pacific or Canadian National office (address in local phone book). Services available include Telepost, providing first-class door-to-door delivery, and Intelpost, which offers satellite communications for documents/photographs to London, Washington DC, New York, Berne and Amsterdam. In Newfoundland & Labrador, telegrams are sent through Terra Nova Tel.
Post
All mail from Canada to outside North America is by air. Stamps are available in hotels, some pharmacies and local stores, or in vending machines outside post offices and shopping centres. Poste Restante facilities are available. Intelpost is offered at main postal offices for satellite transmission of documents and photographs. Post office hours: generally Mon-Fri 0930-1700, Sat 0900-1200, but times vary according to province and location; city offices will have longer hours.
Press
There is one national daily newspaper, The National Post, and Toronto’s The Globe & Mail also has national distribution. Daily newspapers published in the larger population centres have a wide local and regional circulation. French-language dailies are published in seven cities, including Montréal, Québec and Ottawa. In Alberta, the main English-language newspapers are the Calgary Herald, The Edmonton Journal, The Calgary Sun and The Edmonton Sun; in British Columbia, the Vancouver Sun; in Manitoba, the Winnipeg Free Press and The Winnipeg Sun; in New Brunswick, the Daily Gleaner and The Times Transcript; in Newfoundland & Labrador, the Telegram and The Western Star; in Nova Scotia, The Chronicle-Herald and The Daily News; in Ontario, The Globe & Mail (the main national newspaper), The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, The Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Sun; in Québec, The Gazette (daily); in Prince Edward Island, the Guardian and the Journal Pioneer; in Saskatchewan, the Leader Post, Star-Phoenix, Times-Herald and the Daily Herald; and in Yukon, The Whitehorse Star.
BBC World Service frequencies (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): From time to time these change.
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