Country Analysis of Canada

1 Country Analysis of Canada I. Geographic Canada is a very large country bordering the United States to the north. Canada's actual size is 9,984,670 square kilometers, making it the second largest country in the world. Canada is made up of ten provinces and three territories, which are commonly divided into five regions. The five regions include: the East, the Central region, the Prairies, the West, and the North. The East, also sometimes referred to as the Atlantic region, is made up of the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The Central region is made up of the provinces of Quebec, and Ontario. The Prairies consists of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and some parts of Alberta. The West includes most of Alberta, and British Columbia. And finally, the North is made up of the territories—Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Similar to the different states in the United States, each province and territory has its own capital. Canada has many natural resources within its borders. Canada has many forests, a variety of wildlife, a large water supply, and has oil reserves. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Canada “contains twenty percent of the world's remaining wilderness and ten percent of the world's forests” (2011). In addition, “Canada has seven percent of the world's renewable freshwater supply and twenty-five percent of the world's wetlands” (2011). Along with Canada's large supply of natural resources in forests, wildlife, and water, Canada also is the “world's third largest hold of oil reserves” due to the recognition of the commercial viability of their oil sands (2011). Overall, Canada has a huge supply of valuable natural resources. In addition to having a huge supply of natural resources, Canada also has a highlydeveloped infrastructure. According to Gigerich, “[Canada's] excellent road, rail, and water infrastructure – along with the government's investment in continuous improvements...