Canada(more)Château Frontenac, Quebec cityChâteau Frontenac, Quebec city, Quebec.(more)Canada is officially bilingual in English and French, reflecting the country’s history as ground once contested by two of Europe’s great powers. The word Canada is derived from the - kanata, meaning a village or settlement. In the 16th century, French explorer used the name Canada to refer to the area around the settlement that is now city. Later, Canada was used as a synonym for , which, from 1534 to 1763, included all the French possessions along the and the . After the British conquest of New France, the name was sometimes used instead of Canada. The name Canada was fully restored after 1791, when divided old Quebec into the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada (renamed in 1841 and , respectively, and collectively called Canada). In 1867 the created a confederation from three colonies (, , and Canada) called the of Canada. The act also divided the old colony of Canada into the separate provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Dominion status allowed Canada a large measure of self-rule, but matters pertaining to international diplomacy and military alliances were reserved to the . Canada became entirely self-governing within the in 1931, though full legislative independence was not achieved until 1982, when Canada obtained the right to amend its own constitution.Moraine Lake in Banff National ParkMoraine Lake at dawn, Banff National Park, southwestern Alberta, Canada.(more)Canada shares a 5,525-mile- (8,890-km-) long border with the (including Alaska)—the longest border in the world not patrolled by —and the overwhelming majority of its population lives within 185 miles (300 km) of the international boundary. Although Canada shares many similarities with its southern neighbour—and, indeed, its popular culture and that of the United States are in many regards indistinguishable—the differences between the two countries, both temperamental and material, are profound. “The central fact of Canadian history,” observed the 20th-century literary critic , is “the rejection of the American Revolution.” Contemporary Canadians are inclined to favour orderly central government and a sense of community over individualism; in international affairs, they are more likely to serve the role of peacemaker instead of warrior, and, whether at home or abroad, they are likely to have a pluralistic way of viewing the world. More than that, Canadians live in a society that in most legal and official matters resembles Britain—at least in the English-speaking portion of the country. Quebec, in particular, exhibits adaptations: more than three-fourths of its population speaks French as their primary language. The French character in Quebec is also reflected in differences in religion, architecture, and schooling. Elsewhere in Canada, French influence is less apparent, confined largely to the dual use of French and English for place names, product labels, and road signs. The French and British influences are supplemented by the cultures of the country’s peoples (in Canada often collectively called the First Nations) and Inuit peoples, the former being far greater in number and the latter enjoying semiautonomous status in Canada’s newest territory, . In addition, the growing number of immigrants from other European countries, , and Latin America has made Canada even more broadly multicultural.Canada has been an influential member of the and has played a leading role in the organization of French-speaking countries known as . It was a founding member of the and has been active in a number of major UN agencies and other worldwide operations. In 1989 Canada joined the and signed a agreement with the United States, a pact that was superseded in 1992 by the (which also includes Mexico). A founding member (1961) of the , Canada is also a member of the Group of Seven (G7), which includes the world’s seven largest industrial democracies and, as the (G8), had included Russia until it was indefinitely suspended from membership in 2014., Canadá (en inglés: Canada, AFI: /ˈkænədə/; en francés: Canada, AFI: /kanadɑ/ o /kanadɔ/) es un país soberano ubicado en América del Norte, cuya forma de gobierno es la monarquía parlamentaria federal. Su territorio está organizado en diez provincias y tres territorios., Canada [8] is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. Its border with the United States is the world's longest international land border..