Canada

Canada is the second-largest country in the world after Russia, occupying around two-fifths of the northern half of the North American continent. It has ten provinces and three territories stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and north to the Arctic Ocean. The country is sparsely populated, with the vast majority living in urban areas south of the 55th parallel. The capital of Canada is Ottawa, and its three largest urban areas are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Indigenous people have lived continuously on the land that is now Canada for thousands of years. From the 16th century onwards, British and French expeditions discovered and settled on the Atlantic seaboard. Canada's wildlife consists of more than 80 000 classified species, with an equal number of species yet to be identified. Canada is home to about 200 species of mammals, more than 460 species of birds, more than 40 species of amphibians, more than 40 species of reptiles and more than 1200 species of fish. Among invertebrates, there are 55 000 species of insects and 11 000 species of mites and spiders. The Black Bear, Virginia Opossum, Red Squirrel, North American Beaver and Striped Skunk live in the Great Lakes region. The boreal forest is home to moose, caribou, reindeer, Canada Lynx, wolf, marten, porcupine, Snowshoe Rabbit and chipmunk. The fauna of the Rocky Mountain region includes Grizzly Bear, Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, elk, cougar and Flying Squirrel. Canada's coastal waters are home to walruses, dolphins, seals, sea turtles, whales and sharks.