Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 161 KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1931 (Statute of Westminster) Population: 35,182,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 1.3% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$52,200 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 8 Life expectancy: 81 (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 5 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cancer Government health expenditure: 7.7% of GDP (2012) General information The second largest country in the world, Canada comprises the northern half of the North American continent, bordering with the USA to the south and north-west (Alaska). Three oceans bound it: the Pacific to the west; the Arctic to the north; and the Atlantic to the east. Indented shores and numerous islands (some very large) give it the longest coastline of any country at 202,100 km. Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island is 768 km from the North Pole. Canada is a federation of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces (and provincial capitals) are: Alberta (Edmonton), British Columbia (Victoria), Manitoba (Winnipeg), New Brunswick (Fredericton), Newfoundland and Labrador (St John’s), Nova Scotia (Halifax), Ontario (Toronto), Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown), Québec (Québec), Saskatchewan (Regina); and the territories (and capitals): Northwest Territories (Yellowknife), Nunavut (Iqaluit) and Yukon (Whitehorse). Nunavut was formed in April 1999 – from the eastern and central parts of the Northwest Territories – as a semiautonomous region for the Inuit people. The Arctic region, finally, consists of hundreds of islands, covering an area of 2,800 km by 1,800 km and reaching to Canada’s northern tip. Climate: In the High Arctic, temperatures rise above freezing for only a few weeks in July and August. The boreal forest area is snow-bound for more than half the year and precipitation is light, except along the Labrador coast. The eastern Atlantic region has changeable winter temperatures and heavy snowfall. Fog is common, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador. July and August temperatures are 16–18°C. Winter also brings heavy snowfalls to the Great Lakes–St Lawrence region; but summer temperatures average almost 20°C, with heat waves. The prairies have cold winters and hot summers, with rapid air flow bringing dramatic weather changes. Annual average precipitation in southern Saskatchewan is less than 350 mm, compared with 1,110 mm in Vancouver, to the west. The coast of British Columbia has the most temperate climate in Canada. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are damage to forests and lakes by acid rain, and contamination of oceans by waste and run-off from agriculture, industry and mining. Population: 35,182,000 (2013); population density is among the lowest in the world, but large areas are climatically hostile – 85 per cent of Canadians live within 350 km of the US border. Some 81 per cent of people live in urban areas and 45 per cent in urban agglomerations of more than one million people. The population growth rate stood at 1.0 per cent p.a. in the period 1990–2013. In 2013 the birth rate was 11 per 1,000 people (17 in 1970) and life expectancy was 81 years (73 in 1970). The 2001 census found that about 48 per cent of people were of British or Irish origin, 16 per cent of French origin, nine per cent German, 4.3 per cent Italian, 3.7 per cent Chinese, 3.6 per cent Ukrainian and 3.4 per cent Native American. More than 200,000 immigrants arrive each year from more than 150 countries. The provinces with the largest populations are Ontario (11.4 million; 38 per cent of the total), Québec (7.2 million; 24 per cent) and British Columbia (3.9 million; 13 per cent). Economy: Canada is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: The rate of infant mortality in Canada was five deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of five deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013 Canada
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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