Location:
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Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US
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Geographic coordinates:
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60 00 N, 95 00 W
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Map references:
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North America
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Area:
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total: 9,984,670 sq km
land: 9,093,507 sq km
water: 891,163 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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somewhat larger than the US
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Land boundaries:
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total: 8,893 km
border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
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Coastline:
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202,080 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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Climate:
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varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
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Terrain:
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mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m
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Natural resources:
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iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 4.96%
permanent crops: 0.02%
other: 95.02% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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7,200 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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continuous permafrost in 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 east of the mountains
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation
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Geography - note:
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second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border
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Population:
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32,805,041 (July 2005 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 17.9% (male 3,016,032/female 2,869,244)
15-64 years: 68.9% (male 11,357,425/female 11,244,356)
65 years and over: 13.2% (male 1,842,496/female 2,475,488) (2005 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 38.54 years
male: 37.54 years
female: 39.56 years (2005 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.9% (2005 est.)
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Birth rate:
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10.84 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Death rate:
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7.73 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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5.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.75 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 80.1 years
male: 76.73 years
female: 83.63 years (2005 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.61 children born/woman (2005 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.3% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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56,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,500 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Canadian(s)
adjective: Canadian
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Ethnic groups:
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British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)
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Languages:
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English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97% (1986 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
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Railways:
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total: 48,683 km
standard gauge: 48,683 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
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Highways:
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total: 1,408,800 km
paved: 497,306 km (including 16,900 km of expressways)
unpaved: 911,494 km (2002)
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Waterways:
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631 km
note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2003)
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Pipelines:
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crude and refined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980 km (2003)
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Ports and harbors:
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Fraser River Port, Goderich, Montreal, Port Cartier, Quebec, Saint John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Vancouver
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Merchant marine:
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total: 169 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,784,229 GRT/2,657,499 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 49, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, container 1, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 65, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 6
foreign-owned: 6 (France 1, Germany 3, United States 2)
registered in other countries: 112 (2005)
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Airports:
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1,326 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 503
over 3,047 m: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m: 150
914 to 1,523 m: 245
under 914 m: 75 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 823
1,524 to 2,437 m: 67
914 to 1,523 m: 347
under 914 m: 409 (2004 est.)
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Heliports:
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319 (2004)
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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19,950,900 (2003)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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13,221,800 (2003)
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: excellent service provided by modern technology
domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations
international: country code - 1-xxx; 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004)
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Television broadcast stations:
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80 (plus many repeaters) (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.ca
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Internet hosts:
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3,210,081 (2003)
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Internet users:
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16.11 million (2002)
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Economy - overview:
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As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, newly entered in the trillion dollar class, Canada closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Solid fiscal management has produced a long-term budget surplus which is substantially reducing the national debt, although public debate continues over how to manage the rising cost of the publicly funded healthcare system. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the United States, which absorbs more than 85% of Canadian exports.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$1.023 trillion (2004 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.4% (2004 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $31,500 (2004 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 2.3%
industry: 26.4%
services: 71.3% (2004 est.)
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Labor force:
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17.37 million (2004)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 3%, manufacturing 15%, construction 5%, services 74%, other 3% (2000)
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Unemployment rate:
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7% (2004)
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Population below poverty line:
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15.9% (2003)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 23.8% (1994)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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31.5 (1994)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.9% (2004 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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19.4% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $151 billion
expenditures: $144 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
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Public debt:
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NA (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish
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Industries:
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transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products; wood and paper products; fish products, petroleum and natural gas
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2% (2004 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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548.9 billion kWh (2002)
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Electricity - consumption:
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487.3 billion kWh (2002)
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Electricity - exports:
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36.13 billion kWh (2002)
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Electricity - imports:
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13 billion kWh (2002)
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Oil - production:
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3.11 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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2.2 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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1.37 million bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - imports:
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987,000 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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178.9 billion bbl including shale oil (2004 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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165.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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55.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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91.52 billion cu m (2003 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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8.73 billion cu m (2003 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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1.691 trillion cu m (2004)
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Current account balance:
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$28.2 billion (2004 est.)
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Exports:
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$315.6 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum
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Exports - partners:
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US 85.2%, Japan 2.1%, UK 1.6% (2004)
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Imports:
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$256.1 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods
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Imports - partners:
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US 58.9%, China 6.8%, Mexico 3.8% (2004)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$36.27 billion (2003)
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Debt - external:
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$570 billion (2004)
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $2 billion (2004)
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Currency (code):
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Canadian dollar (CAD)
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Exchange rates:
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Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.301 (2004), 1.4011 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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About Canada 
