Canada is the second largest country in the world by total area. It occupies most of northern North America, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Canada shares land borders with the United States to the south and north west. The country is a major tourist destination, and is one of the world's wealthiest countries. The country is renowned worldwide for its vast, untouched landscape and its unique culture.

Canada is a land of huge distances and diverse natural beauty. Economically and technologically it is similar to the United States with whom it shares the longest undefended border in the world. In contrast to the United States' image as a melting pot, Canada prefers to consider itself a mosaic of cultures and people.

Politically, Canada is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is also a parliamentary democracy consisting of a federation comprising ten provinces and three territories. It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as federally official languages. A technologically advanced and industrialized nation, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and trade, particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship.