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Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy comprising of ten provinces and three territories that is situated on the North American continent. The official languages are English and French, with a number of native languages recognised as regional languages. The capital is Ottowa, with the largest city being Toronto. Canada extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9.9 million square kilometres, Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world. The name, 'Canada' ultimately derives from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement" which the French explorer Jacques Cartier used to describes the lands around modern Quebec. Archaeological evidence supports human presence in the Yukon territory from 26,500 years ago, and in southern Ontario from 9,500 years ago. By the late 15th century (the time of the first permanent European settlement) it is estimated that there were 500 000 aboriginal peoples, though diseases brought by European settlers (most notably influenza, measles and smallpox resulted in a decrease of between 40 and 80% in the aboriginal population). European contact begain in 1000 CE when Norsemen settled briefly at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, though there was no further contact with Europe until 1497, when Italian seafarer John Cabot explored Canada's Atlantic coast for England. In 1534 Jacques Cartier explored the Saint Lawrence River for France. In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed St. John's, Newfoundland as the first North American English colony by royal prerogative of Queen Elizabeth I. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608. This established New France, with the settlers known as Canadiens extensively settling the Saint Lawrence River valley and Acadians settled the present-day Maritimes, while fur traders and Catholic missionaries explored the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Mississippi watershed to Louisiana. The English established additional colonies in Cupids and Ferryland, Newfoundland beginning in 1610 and soon after founded the Thirteen Colonies to the south and mainland Nova Scotia came under British rule with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). Subsequent to the Seven Years War the Treaty of Paris (1763) ceded Canada and most of New France to Britain. To avert conflict in Quebec, the British passed the Quebec Act of 1774, expanding Quebec's territory to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. It re-established the French language, Catholic faith, and French civil law there. Following several constitutional conferences, the Constitution Act, 1867 officially proclaimed Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, with four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. British Columbia and Vancouver Island (which had united in 1866) and Prince Edward Island joined the Confederation in 1871 and 1873, respectively. Canada's post-war economic growth, combined with the policies of successive Liberal governments, led to the emergence of a new Canadian identity, marked by the adoption of the current Maple Leaf Flag in 1965, the implementation of official bilingualism (English and French) in 1969, and official multiculturalism in 1971. There was also the founding of socially democratic programmes, such as Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan, and Canada Student Loans, though provincial governments, particularly Quebec and Alberta, opposed many of these as incursions into their jurisdictions Finally, another series of constitutional conferences resulted in the 1982 patriation of Canada's constitution from the United Kingdom, concurrent with the creation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Canada ranks amongst the world's most highly-developed nations, with a diversified diversified economy that is reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade (most especially with the USA). Canada is a member of the G7, G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, Commonwealth of Nations, Francophonie, OAS, APEC, and UN. With the sixth-highest Human Development Index globally, Canada has one of the highest standards of living in the world.

In terms of its cuisine, Canadian food varies widely depending on the regions of the nation. The three earliest cuisines of Canada have First Nations, English, and French roots, with the traditional cuisine of English Canada closely related to British and American cuisine, while the traditional cuisine of French Canada has evolved from French cuisine and the winter provisions of fur traders (particularly fish and game meats). With subsequent waves of immigration in the 18th and 19th century from Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe, and also from China, the regional cuisines were subsequently augmented. Thus the cuisines of Canadian cities are some of the most diverse in the world.