Part 157

Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas

Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures : 3% forests and woodland: 54% other: 38% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 7,100 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow

Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geography - note: second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; nearly 90% of the population is concentrated within 161 km of the US/Canada border

@Canada:People

Population: 30,337,334 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 3,101,968; female 2,957,927) 15-64 years: 68% (male 10,333,085; female 10,201,996) 65 years and over: 12% (male 1,583,643; female 2,158,715) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.13% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 12.4 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 7.23 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population : 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.96 years male: 75.61 years female: 82.48 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian

Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other European 20%, Amerindian 1.5%, other, mostly Asian 11.5%

Religions: Roman Catholic 45%, United Church 12%, Anglican 8%, other 35% (1991)

Languages: English (official), French (official)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% (1986 est.) male : NA% female: NA%

@Canada:Government

Country name: conventional long form : none conventional short form: Canada

Data code: CA

Government type: confederation with parliamentary democracy

National capital: Ottawa