Know Canada better

I was going through Wikipedia,a few newspapers to understand Canada better.Below is some short,quick information about the country. Towards the end, I have listed some links to some major public and private companies in Canada.


Canada is a country occupying the northern portion of North America, and is the world's second largest country in total area.

The name Canada is believed to come from the Huron-Iroquois word kanata, which means "village" or "settlement".

Inhabited exclusively for several millennia by aboriginal peoples, Canada was founded as a union of British colonies, some of which had earlier been French colonies.

A federal dominion of ten provinces with three territories, Canada peacefully obtained sovereignty from its last colonial possessor, the United Kingdom, in a process beginning in 1867 with its formation and ending in 1982 when Canada gained the authority to amend its own constitution.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy with a federal system of parliamentary government, and strong democratic traditions. The political system under which Canada operates is a Westminster system derived from the United Kingdom.

Canada has four main political parties today. The traditionally centrist / left-of-centre Liberal Party of Canada formed the government in Canada for most of the 20th century.

Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, the territories somewhat less. Each has its own provincial or territorial symbols.

Canada's constitution governs the legal framework of the country and consists of written text and unwritten traditions and conventions. The federal government and the governments of nine provinces agreed to the patriation of the constitution, with procedures for amending it, at a meeting of First Ministers in November 1981. The Quebec government did not agree to the changes, and Quebec nationalists refer to that date as the Night of the Long Knives.

The position of Prime Minister, Canada's head of government, in practice, belongs to the leader of the political party who can command a majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and his or her cabinet are formally appointed by the Governor General. However, the Prime Minister chooses the cabinet and the Governor General always, by convention, respects the Prime Minister's desired choices. The Cabinet is traditionally drawn from members of the prime minister's party in both legislative houses, though mostly from the Commons. Executive power is exercised by the prime minister and cabinet, all of whom are sworn into the Privy Council of Canada and become ministers of the Crown. The Prime Minister exercises a great deal of individual political power, especially in the appointment of other officials within the government and civil service. Stephen Harper, a Conservative, has served as Prime Minister since February 6, 2006.

Canada defines itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation. Both English and French are official languages.

A technologically advanced and industrialized nation, Canada is a net exporter of energy because of its large fossil fuel deposits, nuclear energy generation, and hydroelectric power capacity. Its diversified economy relies heavily on an abundance of natural resources and trade, particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship, one which can be described as the strongest trade partnership in history.

Canada is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. Canada's head of state is its monarch, who is represented in Canada by the Governor General. The head of government is the Prime Minister.

Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, the territories somewhat less.

The provinces and territories are:
Province
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador

Territory
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut

As of January 2006, the population is estimated by Statistics Canada to be 32.4 million people, an increase of some 2.4 million people accomplished largely by immigration and (to a lesser extent) natural growth

The population density of 3.5 people per square kilometre is among the lowest in the world.

Statutory and major holidays in Canada include New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Christmas, and Boxing Day.

About three-quarters of Canada's population live within 150 kilometres (95 mi) of the U.S. border.

Canada's two official languages are English and French.French is mostly spoken in Quebec with pockets in New Brunswick, eastern and northern Ontario, Saskatchewan, the south shore of Nova Scotia and southern Manitoba. Of those who speak French as a first language, 85% live in Quebec.

Canada's official national sports are ice hockey (winter) and lacrosse (summer), however, hockey is considerably more a part of Canadian culture, and is by far the most popular spectator sport in the country.Curling is another extremely popular winter sport in Canada, with the strongest support in the prairie provinces

The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18th century, and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of arms.


Listings of major public and private companies in Canada, organized by business sector.
http://canadaonline.about.com/od/companies/


Top Technology Companies are Bombardier Inc ,Nortel Networks Corp., Celestica Inc, IBM Canada, Rogers Wireless, ATI Technologies, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Siemes Canada, Linamar Corp, Research In Motion
Here is the link.

1,000 largest publicly traded Canadian corporations, measured by assets.
Here is the link