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Canada

 Flag of Canada

Last updated: 19 June 2009

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Geography

Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US
Area: total - 9,984,670 sq km; land – 9,093,507 sq km; water - 891,163 sq km. Canada is the second-largest country in world (after Russia) with a strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route. It is slightly larger than the US. Approximately 85% of the population is concentrated within 300 km of the US/Canada border.
Land boundaries: total - 8,893 km; border countries - US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska).
Coastline: 243,791 km
Climate: varies from temperate in south to sub-arctic and arctic in north.
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in south-east.
Elevation extremes: lowest point - Atlantic Ocean 0 m; highest point - Mount Logan 5,959 m
Natural hazards: continuous permafrost in the north is a serious obstacle to development. Cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow.

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