Canada Data Collection
Geography
Natural Resources- Many of the common natural resources that are found in Canada are iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold and lead.
Land Use- Canada's land is mainly use of 34.1% forest, 6.8% agricultural land and other use is 59.1%.
Natural Hazards- Some of the big factors of natural hazards in Canada are the permafrost in north, which 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 east of the mountains.
Environmental Issues- Vehicle emissions is a very substantial issue in Canada also metal smelting, coal-burning utilities which all are impacting on our agricultural and forest productivity; air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests.
People and Society
Population- The population is 35,362,905
Age Structure/ Dependency-
The total dependency ratio is 47.3%, youth dependency ratio is 23.5% and elderly dependency ratio: 23.8%
Population Growth Rate- The Polutaltion growth rate is 0.74% and compared to the worlds its ranked 146.
Urbanization- The urban population is 81.8% of total population. Also the rate of urbanization is 1.22%.
Life Expectancy at Birth - Total population is 81.9 years, Male: 79.2 years, Female: 84.6 years.
Total Fertility Rate- The total fertility rate is 1.6 children born/woman
Health Expenditures- 10.4% of GDP
eCONOMY
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)- Household consumption: 57.9%, Government consumption: 21.3%, Investment in fixed capital: 22.2%, Investment in inventories: 0.3%, exports of goods and services: 31.9%, imports of goods and services: -33.6% (2016 est.),Unemplyoment- 7.1%.
Unemployment Rate- Total is 13.5% and it is also ranked 81 in the world.
Poverty Line- Population below poverty line is 9.4%, although Canada does not have an official poverty line.
Exports- $402.4 billion
Canada exports mainly motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum.
External Debt- $1.608 trillion
Communications
Telephones- Overall excellent service is provided by modern technology and domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations. Total subscriptions is 15.902 million. Canada is also ranked 17 in this category.
Internet Users- Total users are 31.053 million.
Article Summary
Notes
- Canada is full of natural beauty and Europe looks up to this and wants there nation to be also full of natural beauties and be kept instead of being destoryed
- Slovenians, when thinking about Canada think about warm thoughts
- Many countries view Canada better than United States and they like the fact that Canadians do not interfere in others matter but instead focuses on themselves
- The Dutch are attracted to the down-to-earth Canadian spirit
- Americans in many ways look up to Canada to get ideas and perform better, for exmaple they look up to our health care systems
-Danny Ben-Natan from Israel thinks that Canadian is top in the academic world
- Shilpa Bhat, says that India and Canada have many things in common regards to business and economics
- Canada is a country of immigrants cherishing its multiethnic, multicultural and multi-religious heritage
- Canada has traditionally shared its benefits
- Canada plays a role as a peacemaker
- Susan from Northern Island who teaches and researches about Canada, says that she teaches it because Canada has a lot to tell about people, and places
Analysis
1.What is canada's biggest strengths? what is its biggest weakness? PROVIDE SPECIFIC EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT.
Canada's biggest strength is diversity, we have many ethnic groups such as shown in CIA World Factbook, “ Canadian 32.2%, English 19.8%, French 15.5%, Scottish 14.4%, Irish 13.8%, German 9.8%, Italian 4.5%, Chinese 4.5%, North American Indian 4.2%, other 50.9%". Today, immigrants represent over 20 percent of the total Canadian population, the highest proportion among G8 countries. Also another big strength of Canada is being in good relationships with other countries for instance Canada is teamed with the United States of America for importing and exporting goods. Canada's most important relationship, being the largest trading relationship in the world, is with the United States. However, Canadian governments have traditionally maintained active relations with other nations, mostly through multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, La Francophonie, the Organization of American States, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. One of the biggest weakness for Canada is there Industrial production growth rate and as they are ranked 175 in CIA World Factbook. Industrial production refers to the output of industrial establishments and covers sectors such as mining, manufacturing and public utilities, meaning that Canada needs to build their way up in industrial production and make more earnings. Lastly, another weakness is that they can improve on "Land Use", which will equal to more employment. The government can make a good use of the large land area that Canada has to provide, meaning more employment opportunities for the people inured to lower the unemployment rate and help to pay off the country external debt.
2. what is canada's most pressing issue or concern? why? Provide SPECIfic EVIDENCE in support?
The most pressing issue or concern comparing to other nations is that , Canada has the highest unemployment rate of 6.9%. This can lead to most people having little to no money to spend. Meaning less spending can bring a negative change to the economy at large. Additionally high employment rate can lead to a higher tax as the government will need more money to support those that are unemployed. Secondly, Canada has the one of the highest "High External Debt" among all other countries as stated on the CIA World Factbook , Canada is second on the list just behind Germany. This can damage the economy growth, and result in higher taxation from the government and forces people in the country to work harder and to pay off the nations debt.
3. cOMPARED TO OTHERS, SHOULD cANADIAN'S BE PROUD OF THEIR COUNTRY?WHY?pROVIDE SPECFIC EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT?
Canada is a nation where all men and women are treated equally. Therefore, one law governs all. We are a people comprised of all races and religions. Also the people of Canada, are a diplomatic race and are known as such throughout the world. Which many take pride in, also Canada has one of the best education systems compared to others and Canadian students are among the top performers in the world. Which is also noticed by others from different nations for example, Danny Ben-Natan the president for Israel Association for Canadian Studies states that,
“Canada developed its own identity in the academic world and hundreds of scholars”. Moreover, Canadians should be proud as other nations like Israel view “Canada” as a very educated country. Secondly, our country is not influenced by statements which are made by some politicians seeking to gain popularity. Although we, as citizens, do not create commotion about many issues, we tend to think more deeply about current affairs than many people in other countries. In simple terms, many of us are not easily impressed. Ours is a relatively young country, in relation to many other nations especially in Europe and Asia. Canadians developed a strong multicultural base which is crucial for a country to establish itself significantly as a viable strong global trading partner. Moreover, Wang Bing , stated that “Canadian multiculturalism will be very significant for the increasingly diverse world today, which witnesses more and more cultural contact, conflict and exchange.” This statement said by Wang Bing is true as Canada multiculturalism is very important and it has linked us was with many other countries. Thus, we canadians should be really proud of our country where it stands today and how many other nations look up to us to this day.
4. IS CANADA "BETTER OFF" COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTRIES? WHAT AREAS IS CANADA BETTER/NOt BETTER? WHY? pROVIDE SPECIFIC EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT?
Canada has been popular for its universal heath care system. Hence, the health care expenditure should be compared with other countries in order to help determine whether Canada is better or no. Healthcare expenditure of countries can be obtained from the World Bank websites. Canada also has greater economic freedom, Canada’s economic competitiveness has been sustained by the solid institutional foundations of an open-market system. The independent judiciary provides strong protection of property rights and upholds the rule of law. The economy is open to global commerce and supported by a high degree of regulatory efficiency.
