Canada occupies a major northern portion of North America, sharing land borders with the contiguous United States to the south and with the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second largest country in the world—after Russia—and largest on the continent. By land area it ranks fourth. Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60°W and 141°W longitude, but this claim is not universally recognized. The northernmost settlement in Canada and in the world is Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—just 817 kilometres (450 nautical miles) from the North Pole. Canada has the longest coastline in the world: 243,000 kilometres.
Location: |
Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US |
Geographic coordinates: |
60 00 N, 95 00 W |
Map references: |
North America |
Area: |
total: 9,984,670 sq km land: 9,093,507 sq km water: 891,163 sq km |
Area - comparative: |
somewhat larger than the US |
Land boundaries: |
total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska) |
Coastline: |
202,080 km |
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Climate: |
varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north |
Terrain: |
mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast |
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m |
Natural resources: |
iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower |
Land use: |
arable land: 4.57% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 94.78% (2005) |
Irrigated land: |
7,850 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water resources: |
3,300 cu km (1985) |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): |
total: 44.72 cu km/yr (20%/69%/12%) per capita: 1,386 cu m/yr (1996) |
Natural hazards: |
continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains |
Environment - current issues: |
air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities |
Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation |
Geography - note: |
second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border |
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