Nature

Covering nearly 10 million sq km/3.9 million sq mi, Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of physical size. It is exceeded only by Russia, whose landmass totals some 17 million sq km/6.6 million sq mi. Having shores on three oceans (Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic), Canada occupies most of the northern part of the North American continent. Yet its inhabitants, largely concentrated along the Canadian/US border, number only about 32 million. The country is divided into 10 provinces and three territories.

Spanning six time zones, the country stretches from latitude 41°47’N at Pelee Island in Lake Erie (the same latitude as Rome, Italy) to 83°07’N at Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island, a mere 800km/500mi from the North Pole. This north-south extension of about 4,600km/2,900mi is countered only by its width. Canada covers more than 5,500km/3,400mi from Cape Spear in Newfoundland (longitude 52°37’W) to the Yukon/Alaska border (141°W). One of the most remarkable features is the immense bite cut out of the coastline by Hudson Bay, named for famed British explorer Henry Hudson. This enormous gulf or inland sea (637,000sq km/245,946sq mi) could be considered part of either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean. In common with the US, Canada shares another noteworthy feature—the Great Lakes, which together form the largest body of fresh water in the world. Finally, the country is characterized by its extremely mountainous western rim