加拿大-全球最適宜居住的國家
據聯合國發表的報告，加拿大在就業水平、人均國民生產總值、收入、教育及衛生水平等綜合指標在全球160多個國家中名列第壹。
優美的自然環境和安全先進的生活方式
加拿大位於北美洲的北半部，總面積 997萬平方公裏，僅次於俄羅斯，是世界第二大國。人口2900多萬，是世界上平均人口密度最低的國家之壹，每3人占有壹平方公裏的土地。89%的土地沒有永久性居民點。南部與美國為鄰約5000公裏，石油、礦產、木材、海產、水利資源十分豐富。加拿大四季分明，西面受太平洋季風的影響，四季宜人春季郁金香花爭艷，夏季陽光明媚，秋季楓葉層林盡染，冬季萬裏雪飄，極具風情。
加拿大是由十個省和兩個地區組成的聯邦國家。民族構成壹英裔、法裔、荷蘭裔、德裔、波蘭裔和華裔。官方語言為英語和法語。
加拿大有26個人口超過10萬的市區和3個人口超過100萬的城市。其中不少是北美洲最安全、最清潔、風光最美的市中心區。加拿大城市的嚴重犯罪率不到美國城市的壹半。更為人稱道的是多個不同種族的人們在壹個國際性的環境中和睦相處。政府和工業界致力保持空氣和食品的清潔，***同努力維護健康的環境。
加拿大的城市都有高素質的歌劇院、樂團和舞蹈團、美術館、博物館以及公***圖書館。加拿大城市有國際著名的芭蕾舞團、歌劇團和交響樂團。同時亦經常邀請世界各國最優秀的藝術家到訪演出。加拿大政府對藝術的人均補助位於世界前列。加拿大的城市融合了歐洲、亞洲、拉丁美洲和非洲的各種文化。例如，溫哥華是眾多的亞裔人聚居之地；多倫多融合了歐、亞及其他文化；魁北克則為北美洲添上壹份英、法雙語的歐洲風味。
加拿大的氣候各地不壹，往往令預計天氣較冷的訪客詫異。全國絕大多數人口聚居在離美國邊境 250公裏以內的地區，而加拿大最南部的地區與美國加州北部處於同壹緯度。因此，加拿大各大城市的氣候多數與美國北部或北歐地區相似。加拿大的城鎮提供舒適的生活設施，但是與其他國際性商業中心相比，生活費用確保持在很容易負擔的水平上。
名列世界前茅的經濟和科技發展水平
加拿大是西方七國之壹，工業生產自動化、電氣化和現代化水平在世界各國中處於領先地位。農業生產專業化、商品化和現代化的程度也很高，加拿大在電話、微波、衛星、光纖通訊等方面擁有世界先進水平，在航天、微電子工業和生物技術方面亦具有相當水平。加拿大的交通很方便，擁有鐵路10萬公裏、公路73萬公裏、900 家航空公司和600個大型機場。
理想的投資之地
加拿大是個貿易強國。受過良好教育的勞動力以及合理的生產成本，加上政府在政策的支持，國際人士對加拿大的商業投資環境充滿信心。
加拿大在七大工業國中經濟增長強勁，通貨膨脹率長期低於2%。生活標準指數名列第三位。許多未來的主導行業已經對加拿大經濟作出了顯著貢獻。這些行業包括：通訊設備、激光產品、環保技術、生物技術、制藥、航天和電腦軟件等高科技工業。
許多國際企業正越來越多地以加拿大作為研究與發展的中心。加拿大是世界最富裕的市場。從1994年1月1日生效的《北美自由貿易協定》讓加拿大的企業得到了無可比擬的便利。充裕的原料、廉價的能源、低廉的商業樓宇、先進高效的基礎設施、政府的少幹預和為支援中小企業、技術與研究開發計劃制定的優惠政策，使加拿大成為世界少有的理想投資地。
完備的教育體系
加拿大提供免費的中小學教育。小學教育註重教育學生以積極參與的態度去學習，入學條件簡單，主要以學生居住地、年齡分配就讀學校。對新移民子弟，學校也會安排ESL 英語課程。小學課程根據各省教育廳指示編排，學校對學生的學習成績和學生的生活禮儀壹樣看重。希望培養出來的學生能均衡發展；加拿大的中學教育壹般為 5-7年，只需修完30個學分，每學分上課110 小時，就能取得中學畢業證書。低年級課程科目相同，高年級課程有較大彈性，所學科目會有所不同。學校有學生顧問協助學生規劃未來。學校還組織各種社團活動，讓學生在各方面綜合發展。加拿大的高等教育可分為社區學院、大學及研究所，外籍學生及新移民通常要先修語言課，大學課程通常為3-5年。分壹般學士及榮譽學士兩種。全加拿大有88所大學及200多所社區學院。這些學校的入學資格由學生自定。學生分別向大學申請，沒有全國性聯考。碩士課程方面，學生入學必須具備相關學科的大學程度。
世人羨慕的社會福利體系
加拿大是高福利國家，費用由聯邦政府承擔。盡管各省的具體規定不同，但社會福利基本壹致。包括：
家庭津貼：凡有18歲以下兒童之父母均可享受。具體金額視家庭收入高低而定；
日托津貼：若小孩父母均工作，又不能付日托全費，可申請日托津貼；
失業保險：多數在加拿大工作的人都受失業保險保障。失業可領取失業保險金。
養 老 金：65歲以上，在加拿大居住滿10年，可領取全額養老金；
退 休 金：在工作期間供納退休金稅的人士，可申請退休金；
醫療保險：加拿大實施全民保健計劃，居民享受免費醫療服務；
加拿大護照通行全球
加拿大對全世界所有夠條件的人打開大門，每年接受移民及難民超過20萬，其中獨立技術移民約占8 萬人左右，大部分來自亞洲。華人移民加拿大已經有 100多年的歷史，目前華人占全國人口5％，華人投資包括銀行、房地產、酒店、百貨商場、電子通訊、電子計算機等，華人就業機會甚佳，從事高級白領工作的人越來越多，華語成為英語、法語之後的第三大語言，華人的地位也越來越高。
多元文化
加拿大實行多元文化、多民族和平***處，不象澳洲那樣反對從亞洲移民且有較多的種族歧視。在多倫多、溫哥華等大城市，華人數量已超過50萬人。
較多的個人發展機會
移民加拿大後，四年時間中在加拿大居住滿三年，可申請入籍成為加拿大公民。持加拿大護照可免簽證自由往來美國、澳大利亞、新西蘭、英國、德國、意大利、比利時、荷蘭、奧地利、西班牙、葡萄牙、丹麥、瑞典、芬蘭、挪威、希臘、以色列、沙特、香港、澳門、日本、臺灣、新加坡、馬來西亞、巴西、委內瑞拉等壹百多個國家和地區。移民加拿大後，若想轉入美國發展，也十分容易。
Canada
Canada, independent nation (2001 pop. 30,007,094), 3,851,787 sq mi (9,976,128 sq km), N North America. Canada occupies all of North America N of the United States (and E of Alaska) except for Greenland and the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. It is bounded on the E by the Atlantic Ocean, on the N by the Arctic Ocean, and on the W by the Pacific Ocean and Alaska. A transcontinental border, formed in part by the Great Lakes, divides Canada from the United States; Nares and Davis straits separate Canada from Greenland. The Arctic Archipelago extends far into the Arctic Ocean.
Canada is a federation of 10 provinces—Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia—and three territories—Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon Territory. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its largest city is Toronto. Other important cities include Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Quebec.
Land
Canada has a very long and irregular coastline; Hudson Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence indent the east coast and the Inside Passage extends along the west coast. The ice-clogged straits between the islands of N Canada form the Northwest Passage. During the Ice Age all of Canada was covered by a continental ice sheet that scoured and depressed the land surface, leaving a covering of glacial drift, depositional landforms, and innumerable lakes and rivers. Aside from the Great Lakes, which are only partly in the country, the largest lakes of North America—Great Bear, Great Slave, and Winnipeg—are entirely in Canada. The St. Lawrence is the chief river of E Canada. The Saskatchewan, Nelson, Churchill, and Mackenzie river systems drain central Canada, and the Columbia, Fraser, and Yukon rivers drain the western part of the country.
Canada has a bowl-shaped geologic structure rimmed by highlands, with Hudson Bay at the lowest point. The country has eight major physiographic regions—the Canadian Shield, the Hudson Bay Lowlands, the Western Cordillera, the Interior Lowlands, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Appalachians, the Arctic Lowlands, and the Innuitians.
The exposed portions of the Canadian Shield cover more than half of Canada. This once-mountainous region, which contains the continent's oldest rocks, has been worn low by erosion over the millennia. Its upturned eastern edge is indented by fjords. The Shield is rich in minerals, especially iron and nickel, and in potential sources of hydroelectric power. In the center of the Shield are the Hudson Bay Lowlands, encompassing Hudson Bay and the surrounding marshy land.
The Western Cordillera, a geologically young mountain system parallel to the Pacific coast, is composed of a series of north-south tending ranges and valleys that form the highest and most rugged section of the country; Mt. Logan (19,551 ft/5,959 m) is the highest point in Canada. Part of this region is made up of the Rocky Mts. and the Coast Mts., which are separated by plateaus and basins. The islands off W Canada are partially submerged portions of the Coast Mts. The Western Cordillera is also rich in minerals and timber and potential sources of hydroelectric power.
Between the Rocky Mts. and the Canadian Shield are the Interior Lowlands, a vast region filled with sediment from the flanking higher lands. The Lowlands are divided into the prairies, the plains, and the Mackenzie Lowlands. The prairies are Canada's granary, while grazing is important on the plains.
The smallest and southernmost region is the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, Canada's heartland. Dominated by the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, the region provides a natural corridor into central Canada, and the St. Lawrence Seaway gives the interior cities access to the Atlantic. This section, which is composed of gently rolling surface on sedimentary rocks, is the location of extensive farmlands, large industrial centers, and most of Canada's population. In SE Canada and on Newfoundland is the northern end of the Appalachian Mt. system, an old and geologically complex region with a generally low and rounded relief.
The Arctic Lowlands and the Innuitians are the most isolated areas of Canada and are barren and snow-covered for most of the year. The Arctic Lowlands comprise much of the Arctic Archipelago and contain sedimentary rocks that may have oil-bearing strata. In the extreme north, mainly on Ellesmere Island, is the Innuitian Mt. system, which rises to c.10,000 ft (3,050 m).
Canada's climate is influenced by latitude and topography. The Interior Lowlands make it possible for polar air masses to move south and for subtropical air masses to move north into Canada. Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes act to modify the climate locally. The Western Cordillera serves as a climatic barrier that prevents polar air masses from reaching the Pacific coast and blocks the moist Pacific winds from reaching into the interior. The Cordillera has a typical highland climate that varies with altitude; the western slopes receive abundant rainfall, and the whole region is forested. The Interior Lowlands are in the rain shadow of the Cordillera; the southern portion has a steppe climate in which grasses predominate. S Canada has a temperate climate, with snow in the winter (especially in the east) and cool summers. Farther to the north, extending to the timberline, is the humid subarctic climate characterized by short summers and a snow cover for about half the year. The huge boreal forest, the largest surviving remnant of the extensive forests that once covered much of North America, predominates in this region. On the Arctic Archipelago and the northern mainland is the tundra, with its mosses and lichen, permafrost, near-year-round snow cover, and ice fields. A noted phenomenon off the coast of E Canada is the persistence of dense fog, which is formed when the warm air over the Gulf Stream passes over the cold Labrador Current as the two currents meet off Newfoundland.
People
About 40% of the Canadian population are of British descent, while 27% are of French origin. Another 20% are of other European background, about 10% are of E or SE Asian origin, and some 3% are of aboriginal or Métis (mixed aboriginal and European) background. In the late 1990s, Canada had the highest immigration rate of any country in the world, with more than half the total coming from Asia. Over 75% of the total population live in cities. Canada has complete religious liberty, though its growing multiculturalism has at times caused tensions among ethnic and religious groups. About 45% of the people are Roman Catholics, while some 40% are Protestant (the largest groups being the United Church of Canada, Anglicans, and Presbyterians). English and French are the official languages, and federal documents are published in both languages. In 1991, about 61% of Canadians cited English as their mother tongue, while 24% cited French.
Economy
Since World War II the development of Canada's manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has led to the creation of an affluent society. Services now account for 66% of the GDP, while industry accounts for 31%. Tourism and financial services represent some of Canada's most important industries within the service sector. However, manufacturing is Canada's single most important economic activity. The leading products are transportation equipment, pulp and paper, processed foods, chemicals, primary and fabricated metals, petroleum, electrical and electronic products, wood products, printed materials, machinery, clothing, and nonmetallic minerals. Industries are centered in Ontario, Quebec, and, to a lesser extent, British Columbia and Alberta. Canada's industries depend on the country's rich energy resources, which include hydroelectric power, petroleum, natural gas, coal, and uranium.
Canada is a leading mineral producer, although much of its mineral resources are difficult to reach due to permafrost. It is the world's largest source of nickel, zinc, and uranium, and a major source of lead, asbestos, gypsum, potash, tantalum, and cobalt. Other important mineral resources are petroleum, natural gas, copper, gold, iron ore, coal, silver, diamonds, molybdenum, and sulfur. The mineral wealth is located in many areas; some of the most productive regions are Sudbury, Ont. (copper and nickel); Timmins, Ont. (lead, zinc, and silver); and Kimberley, British Columbia (lead, zinc, and silver). Petroleum and natural gas are found in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Agriculture employs about 3% of the population and contributes a similar percentage of the GDP. The sources of the greatest farm income are livestock and dairy products. Among the biggest income-earning crops are wheat, oats, barley, corn, and canola. Canada is one of the world's leading agricultural exporters, especially of wheat. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are the great grain-growing provinces, and, with Ontario, are also the leading sources of beef cattle. The main fruit-growing regions are found in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Apples and peaches are the principal fruits grown in Canada. More than half of the total land area is forest, and Canadian timber production ranks among the highest in the world.