加拿大联邦的历史

加拿大 Canada

北美洲国家。面积：约9,976,185平方千米。人口：约31,081,900(2001)。首都：渥太华。英国人和法国人后裔占该国人口半数以上，德国人、意大利人、乌克兰人、华人、荷兰人、美洲印第安人和爱斯基摩人(因努伊特人)的后裔则构成重要的少数民族。语言：英语和法语(均为官方语言)。宗教：天主教、新教(加拿大联合教会和加拿大圣公会)。货币：加拿大元。加拿大可划分为几个自然地理区：以哈得孙湾为中心占全国面积近4/5的大片内陆盆地，由加拿大地盾、内陆平原及五大湖-圣劳伦斯低地区组成。盆地边缘是几个大部为高地的区域，包括北极群岛境内的山脉，有落基山脉、海岸山脉和劳伦琴山脉。境内最高峰位于育空地区的洛根山。加拿大的5条河流——圣劳伦斯河、马更些河、育空河、弗雷泽河和纳尔逊河均居世界40条最大河流之列。除与美国***有的苏必利尔湖和休伦湖外，加拿大的大熊湖和大奴湖又属世界11个最大湖泊之列。境内也有若干岛屿，包括巴芬岛、埃尔斯米尔岛、维多利亚岛、纽芬兰岛和梅尔维尔岛以及许多小岛屿。加拿大与美国的疆界长6,415千米，是世界上最长的不设防疆界。加拿大的市场经济相当发达，主要以出口为主并与美国经济保持着紧密联系，这使它成为世界上最富有的国家之一。加拿大是议会制联邦，两院制。国家元首是英国君主，其代表为加拿大总督，政府首脑为总理。最初的居民是美洲印第安人和因努伊特人。大约公元1000年古代斯堪的纳维亚的探险者就来到此地，考古发掘证实在纽芬兰有他们的遗迹。早在公元1500年，英国人、法国人、西班牙人及葡萄牙人就在纽芬兰附近海域开始渔业考察。1534年卡蒂埃首次进入圣劳伦斯湾，法国遂提出对加拿大的领土要求。1605年在新斯科舍(阿卡迪亚)建立起一个小拓居地，1608年尚普兰也曾到过魁北克。皮毛交易对早期殖民地的开拓有促进作用。为对付法国人的行动，英国于1670年成立哈得孙湾公司，英法两国为争夺上北美洲腹地相持达一个世纪之久。1713年法国人在安妮女王之战(西班牙王位继承战争)中失利，被迫将新斯科舍及纽芬兰割让给英国。七年战争(法英北美殖民地争夺战)导致法国人1763年被逐出北美大陆。美国独立战争后，加拿大人口中增加了一些从美国逃来的效忠派分子。由于到达魁北克的效忠派分子越来越多，英国遂于1791年将该殖民地分成上、下加拿大省。1841年英国将上、下加拿大省合并。加拿大人的扩张主义导致了19世纪中叶的联邦运动。1867年成立加拿大自治领，其范围包括新斯科舍、新不伦瑞克、魁北克及安大略。此举对促进加拿大的发展至关重要。联邦成立后，加拿大开始了向西扩张的时期。伴随加拿大进入20世纪的繁荣，由于英国人与法国人社区间不断发生的冲突而受到很大影响。1931年通过的《威斯敏斯特条例》，承认加拿大是不列颠的平等伙伴。由于1982年《加拿大法案》获得通过，英国给予加拿大对其宪法的完全控制权，并切断了两国间仍然保留的法律联系。法语加拿大人的骚动是一个主要问题，20世纪后半叶要求魁北克分离的运动不断发展。1992和1995年两次要求魁北克在政治上有更多自治的公民投票表决都遭到拒绝，但这个问题依然没有解决。1999年加拿大成立了新的纽纳武特地区。

Canada

Country of the North America. Area: 3,849,674 sq mi (9,970,610 sq km). Population (2002 est.): 31,244,000. Capital: Ottawa. People of British and French descent constitute more than half the population; there are significant minorities of German, Italian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Dutch, American Indian, and Inuit (Eskimo) origin. Languages: English, French (both official). Religions: Roman Catholicism, Protestantism (United Church of Canada, Anglican Church of Canada). Currency: Canadian dollar. Canada may be divided into several physiographic regions. A large interior basin centred on Hudson Bay and covering nearly four-fifths of the country is composed of the Canadian Shield, the interior plains, and the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence lowlands. Rimming the basin are highland regions, including the Arctic Archipelago. Mountain ranges include the Rocky, Coast, and Laurentian mountains. Canada's highest peak is Mount Logan in Yukon Territory. Five of Canada's rivers

the St. Lawrence, Mackenzie, Yukon, Fraser, and Nelson

rank among the world's 40 largest. In addition to Lakes Superior and Huron, both shared with the U.S., Canada's Great Bear and Great Slave lakes are among the world's 11 largest lakes. The country also includes several major islands, including Baffin, Ellesmere, Victoria, Newfoundland, and Melville, and many small ones. Its border with the U.S., the longest demilitarized border in the world, extends 3,987 miles (6,415 km). With a developed market economy that is export-directed and closely linked with that of the U.S., Canada is one of the world's most prosperous countries. It is a parliamentary state with two legislative houses; its chief of state is the British monarch, whose representative is Canada's governor-general, and the head of government is the prime minister. Originally inhabited by American Indians and Inuit, Canada was visited с AD 1000 by Scandinavian explorers, whose discovery is confirmed by archaeological evidence from Newfoundland. Fishing expeditions off Newfoundland by the English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese began as early as 1500. The French claim to Canada was made in 1534 when Jacques Cartier entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A small settlement was made in Nova Scotia (Arcadia) in 1605, and by 1608 Samuel de Champlain had reached Quebec. Fur trading was the impetus behind the early colonizing efforts. In response to French activity, the English in 1670 formed the Hudson's Bay Company. The British-French rivalry for the interior of upper North America lasted almost a century. The first French loss occurred in 1713 at the conclusion of Queen Anne's War (War of the Spanish Succession), when Nova Scotia and Newfoundland were ceded to the British. The Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) resulted in France's expulsion from continental North America in 1763. After the American Revolution Canada's population was augmented by loyalists fleeing the United States, and the increasing number arriving in Quebec led the British to divide the colony into Upper and Lower Canada in 1791. The British reunited the two provinces in 1841. Canadian expansionism resulted in the confederation movement of the mid 19th century, and in 1867 the Dominion of Canada, comprising Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario, came into existence. After confederation, Canada entered a period of westward expansion. The prosperity that accompanied Canada into the 20th century was marred by continuing conflict between the English and French communities. Through the Statute of Westminster (1931), Canada was recognized as an equal partner of Great Britain. With the Canada Act of 1982, the British gave Canada total control over its constitution and severed the remaining legal connections between the two countries. French Canadian unrest continued to be a major concern, with a movement growing for Quebec separatism in the late 20th century. Referendums for more political autonomy for Quebec were rejected in 1992 and 1995, but the issue remained unresolved. In 1999 Canada formed the new territory of Nunavut.