ave no religious affiliation at all. Diversity is the keynote of Canada's geography, which includes fertile plains suitable for agriculture, vast mountain ranges, lakes and rivers. Wilderness forests give way to Arctic tundra in the Far North. Canada has six time zones. The easternmost, in Newfoundland, is three hours and 30 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The other time zones are the Atlantic, the Eastern, the Central, the Rocky Mountain and, farthest west, the Pacific, which is eight hours behind GMT. Refer to Appendix B for a detailed up-to-date map of Canada.3.2.2Political Characteristics3.2.2.1GeneralThe Capital city of Canada is Ottawa, in the province of Ontario. Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, each with its own capital city. . On July 1, 1867, Canada East, Canada West, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick joined under the terms of the British North America Act to become the Dominion of Canada.3.2.2.2Political Systems and LeadersCanada is a constitutional monarchy and a federal state with a democratic parliament. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is Canada's Head of State and the Queen of Canada. Her representative in Canada is the Governor General, currently Adrienne Clarkson. The head of the majority party in Commons is the nation's prime minister and the Head of Government (currently Jean Chrtien, of the Liberal party). The deputy prime minister is Herb Gray. The Parliament of Canada, in Ottawa, consists of the Senate, whose members are appointed and the House of Commons, whose members are elected. On average, members of Parliament are elected every four years. There are several major political parties, the biggest of which are as follows: (Liberal Party of Canada, Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, New Democratic Party of Canada, Canadian Alliance Party, Bloc Quebecois a separatist party present only in Quebec). 3.2.3Economic Characteristics3.2.3.1 General InfoThe principal natural resources are natural gas, oi...
