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Government Federal parliamentary constitutional
monarchy
- Monarch Elizabeth II
- Governor General David Johnston

- Prime Minister Stephen Harper
- Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin
Legislature Parliament

- Upper house Senate
- Lower house House of Commons
Establishment from the United Kingdom
- Constitution Act July 1, 1867

- Statute of Westminster December 11, 1931
- Canada Act April 17, 1982
Currency Canadian dollar ($) (CAD)

Geography. Canada is a country in North America consisting of 10
provinces and 3 territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it

extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean.
At 9.98 million square ki’lometres in total, Canada is the world's second-
largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is

the world's longest land border shared by the same two countries.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by
various Abo’riginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and
French colonies were established on the region's Atlantic coast. As a

consequence of various conflicts, the United Kingdom gained and lost North
American territories until left in the late 18th century with what mostly
comprises Canada today. Pursuant [pə’sju(:)ənt] (згідно з) to an act of the

British Parliament, on July 1, 1867 three colonies joined to form the
autonomous federal do’minion of Canada. This began an accretion
[ə’kri: ən] (розростання) of provinces and territories to the new self-
governing dominion. In 1931 Britain granted Canada full independence in

most matters, with the last ties being dissolved in 1982.
Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional
monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. Canada is a member

of the Commonwealth of Nations. The country is officially bilingual at the
federal level. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and
multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many

countries, with a population of approximately 35 million as of December
2012. Its advanced economy is one of the largest in the world, relying chiefly

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