Canada - World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe

2
Health systems in transition Canada
1.1 Geography and sociodemography
Canada is a large country with a land mass of 9 093 507 km 2 (or 9 984 670 km 2
including inland water). The mainland spans a distance of 5514 km from east
to west, and 4634 km from north to south. The country is bounded by the
United States to the south and the north-west (Alaska), the Pacific Ocean in
the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and the Arctic Ocean in the far north.
The terrain of the country ranges from extensive mountain ranges to large
continental plains, from huge inland lakes and boreal forests to the vast tundra
of the Arctic. The climate is northern in nature with a long and cold winter
season experienced in almost all parts of the country (Fig. 1.1).
Fig. 1.1
Map of Canada
Whitehorse
Victoria
Yukon
British
Columbia
0 250 500
Northern
Territories
Yellowknife
Alberta
Source: Author’s own compilation.
Beaufort Sea Baffin Bay
Nunavut
Saskatchewan
Edmonton
Manitoba
Regina
kilometers
1,000
Winnipeg
Hudson Bay
Ontario
Lake Superior
The United States, a country with almost 10 times the population of
Canada and a higher level of per capita income, exerts considerable cultural
and economic influence on the daily life of Canadians. Although there are
major, even fundamental, differences in how public health care is funded and
Iqaluit
Quebec
Newfoundland
and Labrador
Fredericton Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown
Québec
Halifax
Ottawa
✪
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Toronto
N
St. John’s