With a land area covering 9.98 million square kilometers, Canada is the second-largest country in the world. Situated in North America, it spans six time zones, has ten provinces and three territories which extend from the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. It is home to huge metropolitan areas, including the capital of Ottawa, as well as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
As of 2021, the population reached 38.01 million, though growth slowed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. While the two official languages of Canada are English and French, other languages spoken in the country include Mandarin, Cantonese, and Punjabi.
Canada is a highly developed, globalized, and mixed-market economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, which includes Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, Canada has experienced a trade boom. Though it relies heavily on U.S. trade, it is one of the largest trading nations in the world. The country also has strong financial networks and banking systems.