Date of independence, or formation date: 1867
Date when current borders were established: 1949
National day: July 1
Vehicle country identifying code: CDN
Time zone (hours plus or minus from GMT): -3.5 to -8
International telephone dialling code: +1
Internet country identifying code: .ca

Canada is the world's second-largest country, stretching north to Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island, south to Lake Erie, and across six time zones from Newfoundland to the Pacific seaboard. The interior lowlands around Hudson Bay make up 80% of Canada's land area and include the vast Canadian Shield, with the plains of Saskatchewan and Manitoba and the Rocky Mountains to the west. The St. Lawrence, Yukon, Mackenzie, and Fraser Rivers are among the world's 40 largest. The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River lowlands are the most populous areas. An Inuit homeland, Nunavut, formerly the eastern part of the Northwest Territories, was created in 1999, covering nearly a quarter of Canada's land area. French-speaking Québec's relationship with the rest of the country causes recurring constitutional arguments.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004