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Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. Its border with the United States is the world's longest international land border. The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. It is a sparsely inhabited country of 40 million people, the vast majority residing south of the 55th parallel in urban areas. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition. The country's head of government is the prime minister, who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons and is "called upon" by the governor general, representing the monarch of Canada, the ceremonial head of state. The country is a Commonwealth realm and is officially bilingual (English and French) in the federal jurisdiction. It is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency, quality of life, economic competitiveness, innovation, education and gender equality. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration. Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its history, economy, and culture.
A developed country, Canada has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Recognized as a middle power, Canada's strong support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign relations policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries. Canada is part of multiple international organizations and forums. ( Full article...)
The
Beringian wolf is an extinct
population of wolf (
Canis lupus) that lived during the
Ice Age. It inhabited what is now modern-day
Alaska,
Yukon, and northern
British Columbia. Some of these wolves survived well into the
Holocene. The
Beringian wolf is an
ecomorph of the gray wolf and has been comprehensively studied using a range of scientific techniques, yielding new information on their prey species and feeding behaviors. It has been determined that these wolves are morphologically distinct from modern North American wolves and
genetically basal to most modern and extinct wolves. The Beringian wolf has not been assigned a subspecies classification and its relationship with the extinct European
cave wolf (Canis lupus spelaeus) is not clear. (
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Jennie Smillie Robertson (February 10, 1878 – February 26, 1981), known throughout her career as Jennie Smillie, was the first Canadian female surgeon and also performed the country's first major
gynecological surgery. Born to farmers, she worked as a teacher to afford tuition for medical school before enrolling at the
Ontario Medical College for Women which merged into the
University of Toronto medical school during her time there. Due to a lack of options in
Toronto, she completed her training in the United States. In 1911, she helped re-found her alma mater as today's
Women's College Hospital after no Toronto hospital would let her perform surgery. She died at age 103. (
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In
Canadian folklore,
Mussie is a creature said to live in
Muskrat Lake in the
Canadian province of
Ontario. It is variously described, for example, as a
walrus or as a three-eyed
Loch Ness Monster-like creature.The legend of Mussie likely began around 1916, though
legend claims that Canadian pioneer
Samuel de Champlain wrote about it in the early seventeenth century. Mussie has become a part of the local culture and a fixture in the local tourism industry. (
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The
music of Canada reflects the diverse influences that have
shaped the country. Indigenous Peoples, the
Irish, British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical
heritage of Canada. The music has also subsequently been influenced by
American culture because of the proximity between the two countries. Since French explorer
Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1605 and established the first permanent French settlements at
Port Royal and
Québec in 1608, the country has produced its own
composers,
musicians and
ensembles. (
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The
Grey Cup is the championship of the
Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team. The trophy is named after
Albert Grey, the
Governor General of Canada from 1904 until 1911. He donated the trophy to the
Canadian Rugby Union in 1909 to recognize the top amateur rugby football team in Canada. By this time
Canadian football had become markedly different from the
rugby football from which it developed. Although it was originally intended to be awarded only to amateur teams (like the
Stanley Cup), over time, the Grey Cup became the property of the Canadian Football League as it evolved into a professional football league. Amateur teams ceased competing for the Cup by 1954; since 1965, the top amateur teams, playing in
U Sports, have competed for the
Vanier Cup. (
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