Canadais the second largest and the northern-most country in the world. It is a decentralized federation of ten provinces and three territories, governed as a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Initially constituted through the British North America Act of 1867 and styled The Dominion of Canada, it occupies most of the northern half of North America.
Canada's capital is Ottawa, home of the nation's Parliament as well as the residences of the Governor General and the Prime Minister; the representative of the head of state and the head of government, respectively. Originally a union of former French and British colonies, Canada is a member of both La Francophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations. Canada is officially bilingual, with Canadian French widely spoken in the eastern province of Quebec, and Canadian English the majority language elsewhere. Parliament mainly comprises members of four main political parties, of which the Liberal Party has dominated for most of the past 50 years.
Canada is a technologically advanced and industrialized nation. It ranks fourth on the 2004 UN Human Development Index (behind Norway, Sweden and Australia) and is largely self-sufficient in energy due to its relatively large deposits of fossil fuels, nuclear energy generation, and hydroelectric power capabilities. Its economy has traditionally relied heavily on the abundance of natural resources and trade, particularly with the United States, with which it has a long, extensive relationship. Although the modern Canadian economy has become widely diversified, exploitation of natural resources remains an important driving force of many regional economies.
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