Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area,occupying most of northern North America.Extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean,Canada shares land borders with the United States to the northwest and south.
Inhabited first by aboriginal peoples,Canada was founded as a union of British colonies (some of which were formerly French colonies).Canada gained independence from the United Kingdom in an incremental process that began in 1867 and ended in 1982; it remains a Commonwealth Realm.
Canada is a federal constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy.Comprising ten provinces and three territories,Canada is a bilingual and multicultural country,with both English and French as official languages at the federal level.A technologically advanced and industrialized nation,Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade — particularly with the United States,with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship.