Capital city: Ottawa, Ontario

Type of government: Federal Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy. Canada is a federation, which means powers are shared between federal and provincial governments.

Head of Government: Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II is Canada's official head of state, and is represented in Canada by the Governor General.

National Emblem: Maple Leaf

Population: In 2006, the population of Canada was estimated to have exceeded 32.6 million. However, Canadians are spread over a large geographic land mass, giving Canada one of the smallest population density ratios in the world at 3.1 persons per square kilometre.

Canada is well-known as a champion of peace, human rights, equality and democracy. It is active in many international organizations, such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth and La Francophonie.