History

The earliest inhabitants of this vast land were prehistoric tribes from Asia who traveled across the Bering Strait and settled here. Barring the odd Viking visit, which did not last very long, the aboriginal people lived freely and developed their customs, languages and traditions until the 15th century. In 1534, Jacques Cartier made the first claim for France and Samuel de Champlain founded Québec City in the early 1600s. By the mid 16th century, Canada was declared a French province.

The British entered the picture in 1670 and the hostilities between the two colonizers eventually led to the Treaty of Paris in 1763 when France handed Canada over to Britain. The two cultures within Canada continued to fight until the growing strength of the US necessitated a more united front. In 1867 the British North American Act (BNA Act) gave birth to modern, self-governing Canada.

Resentments between the two provinces continued, however, and there were voices urging a separate French state for Quebec right up to even 20 years ago. It is only recently that the movement for Québec independence has lost some steam.

CULTURE

Canadian culture has historically been heavily influenced by British and French cultures and traditions as a result of the shared colonial past of the two countries like American culture. In addition, Canadian culture has also been influenced by American culture partially because of the close proximity of the two countries and partially because of the migration of people, ideas, capital and politics across the border. Despite these inherited British and American traditions Canadian culture has developed many unique characteristics. Amidst this, Canadian culture has developed unique characteristics. Canada has developed a more robust and distinct culture in recent years because of the civic nationalism that pervaded Canada in the years prior to and following the Canadian Centennial in 1967, and also due to a focus by the federal government on programs to support culture and the arts.

The United States and Canadian governments share a variety of close working partnerships in matters of trade, economics, and legal concerns. Many American movies, authors, TV shows and musicians are equally popular in Canada, and vice-versa. Most cultural products of these types are now increasingly marketed towards a unified "North American" market, and not specifically a Canadian or American one.

As Canada and the United States have grown closer, many Canadians have developed complex feelings and a concern, regarding what makes Canada a "distinct" nation within North America. The large American cultural presence in Canada has prompted some fears of a "cultural takeover," and has initiated the establishment of many laws and government institutions to protect Canadian culture. Much of Canadian culture remains defined in contrast to American culture

There were and are many distinct First Nations across Canada, each with its own culture, language and history. Their culture was transmitted largely through oral means and stories were passed down through the elders to the younger generations. Various tribes created unique styles of artifacts such as weaved baskets, painted pictures, and carved sculptures of animals. Much of this artistic legacy remains celebrated in Canada to this day. The emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is the inukshuk, a stack of rocks in human form

From as early the 1500s, European explorers, traders, and fishermen from England, Ireland and France helped form the basis of Canadian culture. During their colonization of Canada, settlers created folklore about the land around them. The tales of Paul Bunyan are a product of French-Canadian folklore and the style of jigs from Newfoundland found their origins in Ireland.

INTRODUCTION

Canada is the second largest (by area) and the northern-most country in the world, occupying almost half of the North American land mass. It is a decentralized federation of ten provinces and three territories, governed as a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. It was initially constituted through the British North America Act of 1867 and styled the Dominion of Canada. Canada's capital is Ottawa, home of the nation's Parliament, as well as the residences of the Governor General of Canada (who exercises the personal prerogatives delegated by Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's formal head of state) and the Prime Minister (the head of government). Originally a union of former French and British colonies, Canada is a Commonwealth Realm, and a member of both La Francophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations. Canada is officially bilingual, with French widely spoken in the eastern provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, in Eastern Ontario, Southern Manitoba and in specific communities throughout the West. English is the majority language elsewhere. Parliament mainly comprises members of four main political parties.