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Aboriginal peoples

Indigenous peoples lived in what is now Canada for thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived. The indigenous groups that live in Canada are the First Nations, the Inuit, and the Métis. The Métis are people that come from both First Nations and European families.Together, these three groups are called "Indigenous," "Aboriginal," or "First Peoples." They used to be called "Indians" by the Europeans, but this is now considered rude. Many people think the first people to live in Canad...

European colonization

The Vikings were the first Europeans to land in Canada, in what is now Newfoundland. The exploration was led by the Viking explorer Leif Erikson. They did not stay for a long time. In the early 16th century, Europeans started exploring Canada's eastern coast. The first of these explorers was John Cabot from England, in 1497, and later Jacques Cartier from France, in 1534. Alexander Mackenzie later reached the Pacific coast over land, where captains James Cook and George Vancouver went by sea....

Confederation and expansion

On July 1, 1867, Canada was united under a federal government. At first, Canada was only made up of the provinces Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Sir John A. Macdonald was the first prime minister. Manitoba, the Yukon territory, and the Northwest Territories became part of Canada in 1870. British Columbia joined in 1871, and Prince Edward Islandin 1873. There were two Red River Rebellions, in 1869-70 and 1885, both led by Louis Riel. He fought for more rights for the Métis pe...

Canada has a government called a constitutional monarchy. It has a monarch (meaning a king or queen is the head of that country), and is a democracy (meaning the people of that country rule it). The head of state is King Charles III, who is officially the King of Canada. He appoints a Governor Generalto represent him in the country, however, the ch...

Because Canada is very far north, and most people cannot survive the conditions, most Canadians live in the southern parts, where the weather is much milder. In some cities, the temperature gets very cold in the winter, especially inland.Warm air systems, moving in from the Pacific Ocean, bring more rain than snow to the Pacific coast. The colder t...

Canada has lots of natural resources. Its large amounts of fish have been used for centuries for food and money. Hydroelectric power (electricity by water) is abundant because of Canada's many rivers. Forests in the west are used for wood. Besides these renewable resources, Canada has metal ores and oil deposits. Canada is the leading exporter of z...

Around 38 million people live in Canada. About 80% of the Canadian population live in the southern parts of Canada because the climate is warmer than the north of Canada. Many immigrants, who come from almost every part of the world, live in Canada. One example is the former Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, who came to Canada as a young ...

The Canadian government provides universal health care. The provinces are responsible for health insurance. Five provinces prohibit all extra-billing, while Alberta, British Columbia and Newfoundland allow it in a small number of circumstances, and Prince Edward Island and New Brunswickdo not restrict it at all. In 2020, the Canadian Broadcasting C...