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Full country name: Canada
Area: 9,975,000 sq km (3.9 million sq miles)
Population: 31,281,000
Capital city: Ottawa (pop: 325,000)
People: British descent (40%), French descent (25%), German descent (3%), aboriginal peoples (4%), plus significant minorities of Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Greek, Polish and Chinese descent
Languages: English, French and 53 native languages
Religion: Predominantly Catholic and Protestant, with minorities from most of the world's major religions. Formal religion does not play an important role in Canadian life
Government: Parliamentary democracy
Prime Minister: Jean Chrétien

GDP: US$721 billion
GDP per head: US$25,000
Annual growth: 1.4%
Inflation: 1.4%
Major products/industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas
Major trading partners: USA, Japan, UK, Germany and South Korea

The Quebec City Winter Carnival, which takes place during the last two weeks of February, features parades, ice sculptures, a snow slide, dances and music. Ottawa's three-week Winterlude fetes all things snowy in February. The Montreal Jazz Festival in June and the Ottawa International Jazz festival in July both attract internationally-known and local players. Two major events in Toronto held in June are Caribana, a cultural exchange offering ethnic music, dance and food, and the Gay Pride Day Parade through the downtown area. In September, there's the Toronto International Film Festival. Calgary hosts the popular Calgary Stampede in July, the highlight of which is the chuck wagon race and rodeo. In the west, Victoria celebrates the First Peoples' Festival in August with traditional craftwork, dancing and war-canoe rides.

Visas: Visitors from nearly all Western countries don't need visas. Travelers from Portugal, South Africa, Hong Kong (except SAR passport holders), North Korea, Taiwan, some Eastern European countries, and developing countries do require them. Entry stamps for less than six months are free
Health risks: None
Time: There are six time zones ranging from Newfoundland Standard Time in the East, which is GMT/UTC minus 3½ hours, to Pacific Standard Time in the West, which is GMT/UTC minus 8 hours
Electricity: 110/120V 60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: 40 million visitors (approx) per year, 90% of whom are US citizens

Spring, summer and autumn are all ideal for touring, though if you want to ski you'll naturally have to come in winter or early spring. For campers, and those who want to visit the far north, the summer months of July and August are best. Note that the peak tourist season is between mid-June and mid-September. Although spring and autumn have less crowds, lower prices and a more relaxed pace than the summer months, some visitor-oriented facilities and attractions may be closed during these shoulder seasons.