As a follow-up to some comments on my Canada Day posting I decided to tell you a little about my country, especially for those Americans who I hope will learn more about their ally and neighbor.
Canada was formed as result of a union of three provinces signing the British North America Act on July 1, 1867. This took place at a meeting in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Therefore, July 1st is our “independence day” from Great Britain. We are now 141 years old. (Above: Canadian flag)
The first provinces making up Canada were Canada (Upper and Lower), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Upper Canada is now the province of Ontario and Lower Canada is now the province of Quebec.
Canadian Facts:
Provinces = 10
Territories = 3
Capital = Ottawa, Ontario
Area = 3,854,085 square miles (2nd largest country in world by area)
Population = 33,311,000 (2008 census estimate)
Largest city = Toronto, Ontario (+4 million in metro area)
Two major political parties = Conservative and Liberal
Type of government = parlimentary democracy (similar to Great Britain)
Prime Minister = Stephen Harper, Conservative (he lives in Calgary by the way)
National Anthem = “Oh Canada”
Provinces with capital cities (west to east);
British Columbia – Victoria
Alberta – Edmonton
Saskatchewan – Regina
Manitoba – Winnipeg
Ontario – Toronto
Quebec – Quebec City
New Brunswick – Fredericton
Prince Edward Island – Charlottetown
Nova Scotia – Halifax
Newfoundland – St. John’s
Territories
Yukon – Whitehorse
Northwest Territories – Yellowknife
Nunavut – Iqaluit
International Organizations member of;
United Nations – original member
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – original member
Organization of American States (OAS) – 1990
G-8 – original member
My Hometown;
Calgary, Alberta – pop. 1,019,942
(Photo of downtown skyline below)
Posted by stamperdad 
WRITINGS & RAMBLINGS 