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With ten provinces and three territories , Canada is a democracy and a constitutional monarchy . Queen Elizabeth II is the official head of state. A first world nation, Canada has a diversified economy that relies upon trade and its abundant natural resources.
Canada is a huge and ethnically diverse country. There are many cultural variations and distinctions from province to province and region to region. Canada is a great nation of immigrants—according to a 2007 by Statistics Canada, nearly 1 in 5 Canadians today was born in another country. Canadians place a high value on multiculturalism , and encourage citizens to retain the unique aspects of their home cultures. Unlike the United States , which encourages immigrants to join the “melting pot”, Canadians think of their multi-stranded heritages as a “patchwork quilt”. Statistics Canada expects that the majority of the population in both Toronto and Vancouver will consist of people of non-European origin by 2012.
The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol began in the early 18th century. The maple leaf is used on the flag, the penny , and on the coat of arms . Canada adopted its current Maple Leaf Flag in 1965. Other important Canadian symbols include the beaver , Canada goose , common loon , the Crown , the RCMP , and more recently the totem pole and inukchuk . (An inukchuk is an artistically created Inuit cairn.)
Canada has two official languages, English and French . Services must be offered in both languages by law. Inuktitut is the most frequently used language in Nunavut , and one of three official languages in the territory.
One of the most prominent features in Canadian economy and culture is the large number of small businesses, and particularly artists and craftspeople. Combined with the quality and quantity of natural resources in Canada such as wood and stone, these features make Canada a global destination for unique arts and crafts. Handcrafted boats, furniture, and sculpture are some of the featured specialties among Canadians.
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