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Canada

• Dominion of Canada
• parliamentary monarchy with the British monarch as chief of state
• own names:
  - English: Dominion of Canada
  - French: Dominion du Canada

Contents

• Flags

• Historical Flags

• Meaning/Origin of the Flag

• Coat of Arms

• Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms

• Aircraft Roundel

• Map

• Numbers and Facts

• Administrative Structures

• History

• Origin of the Country's Name

Flags

National, merchant, state flag and naval jack,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Corel Draw 4





Common flag of the armed forces,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Wikipedia (D)





since 2013,
Naval flag,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Wim Schuurmann in Vlag! Nr. 13 & Wikipedia (EN)





since 2016,
Flag of the army,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)





since 1982,
Flag of the air force,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)





Naval jack of the coast guard,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Governor General of Canada





Flag of the Naval Board,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World





Flag of the Gouvernor General,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World





1962–2022,
Flag of the Queen,
ratio = 3:5,
Source, by: Wappen und Flaggen aller Nationen

Historical Flags

1608–1763,
Flag of France,
Source, by: Sodacan [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons





1682–1707,
Flag of the Hudson’s Bay Company,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN), canadashistory.ca





1707–1801,
Flag of the Hudson’s Bay Company,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN), canadashistory.ca





1713–1801,
Union Flag → quasi National flag,
Flag of United Kingdom,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Die Welt der Flaggen, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca





1801–1965,
Flag of the Hudson’s Bay Company,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN), canadashistory.ca





1801–1965,
Union Flag → quasi National flag,
Flag of United Kingdom,
ratio = 1:2,
Source: Wikipedia (EN), thecanadianencyclopedia.ca





since 1965,
Union Flag → ceremonial monarchy flag,
Flag of United Kingdom,
ratio = 1:2,
Source: Wikipedia (EN), thecanadianencyclopedia.ca





1870–1922,
State flag,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: World Statesmen





1892–1922,
National- und Merchant flag,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: World Statesmen





1922–1957,
State flag,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: World Statesmen





1922–1957,
National- und Merchant flag,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: World Statesmen





1957–1965,
State flag,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: World Statesmen





1957–1965,
National- und Merchant flag,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: World Statesmen

Meaning/Origin of the Flag

The today's flag of Canada was officially hoisted for the first time on 15th of February in 1965. It consists in three vertical stripes in red, white and red in ratio 1:2:1. The white stripe carrys in the middle a red maple leaf. The flag portrays the position of Canada between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, which border the country in the west and in the east. The maple leaf is as Canadian symbol in use leastways since one hundred years and is nowadays the national landmark of Canada. The colours red and white became declared to the official colours of the country Canada by a royal patent from 21st of November in 1921. The red of the flag of Canada is precisely defined and is interpreted as CMYK 0/100/100/0 or Pantone 485. If the flags follow British specifications, the following also apply here: blue = Pantone 280, red = Pantone 186. On 5th of May in 2013 Canada had introduced a new naval flag. It corresponds to the to date valid naval jack. Until the introduction of the current flag in 1965, Canada followed the British Ensign system. Prior to that time, the national flags were plain blue or red ensigns, a single-coloured flag bunting with a representation of the flag - the British Union Jack - in the upper corner. The Union Jack indicated the ties to United Kingdom. The ensign system is still used today for official flags, the flags of the armed forces or government departments. United Kingdom introduced a flag system in 1864 in which:
• war ships fly the "White Ensign" (naval flag), a white flag often with an uninterrupted red St. George's-Cross and with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag,
• merchant ships fly a "Red Ensign" (also named "Civil Ensign" → civil flag, the real merchant flag), a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag, and
• governmental ships fly the "Blue Ensign" (flag for the use by the gouvernment → the actual state flag), a blue flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag.
Since 1865 ships of colonial governments were permitted to fly the Blue Ensign with a badge in the flying end of the flag. The respective governments were asked to design appropriate badges. Merchant ships and seafaring persons from colonies were only permitted to use the Red Ensign with a badge, then also named Civil Ensign, if permission has been given to the respective colony by the British admiralty.

Source: Wim Schuurmann in Vlag! Nr. 13, Flaggen Enzyklopädie, Die Welt der Flaggen, Flaggen Wappen Hymnen, Flaggen und Wappen der Welt

Coat of Arms

Coat of arms of Canada,
Source, by: Corel Draw 4

Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms

The Canadian coat of arms was adoped in the today's form on the 21st of November in 1921, likewise the colours of the country, by a royal patent of King George V. The blazon is quartered and shows the heraldry of England (three golden lions on red), Scotland (red lion on gold), Ireland (golden harp on blue) and France (three golden lilies on blue). Those four countries are the original home of a big part of the Canadian population. Until 1921 there were the coats of arms of four provinces in the quads. In the lower top of the blazon are to see three maple leafs. Its colour was changed not until the year 1957 from green into red. Shield holders are the British lion and the Scottish unicorn. The motto in the blue motto ribbon is: "A MARI VSQVE AD MARE" → "From Ocean to Ocean".

Source: Flaggen Wappen Hymnen, Flaggen und Wappen der Welt

Aircraft Roundel

1946–1965,
Aircraft Roundel,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)



since 1965,
Aircraft Roundel,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)

Map

Location:

Source: CIA World Factbook

Map of the country:

Source: CIA World Factbook


Map: Volker Preuß

Numbers and Facts

Area: 3.855.085 square miles

Inhabitants: 37.000.000 (2021), thereof 32.3 % Canadians, 18.3 % Anglo-Canadians, 13.9 % Scots, 13.6 % French Canadians, 13.4 % Irish, 9.6 % German, 5.1 % Chinese, 4.4 % native Indians (mostly Cree), 4.0 % Indians, 4.0 % Ukrainians, 3.2 % Dutch, 3.1% Poles

Religions: 39% Roman Catholic, 24% Protestant, 3% Muslim, 1% Jewish, 24% Non-Religious

Density of Population: 10 inh./sq.mi.

Capital: Ottawa (to 1854 Bytown), 934.243 inh. (2016)

official Languages: English, French

other Languages: German, Italian, Chinese, Cree, Eskimo (Inuktitut)

Currency: 1 Canadian Dollar (CAD, can$) = 100 Cents

Time Zone: GMT – 3,5 to – 8 h

Source: Wikipedia (D), CIA World Factbook

Administrative Structures

10 Provinces
Name in German:	Name in English:	Nom en Français:
Alberta	Alberta	Alberta
Britisch-Kolumbien	British Columbia	Colombie-Britannique
Manitoba	Manitoba	Manitoba
Neubraunschweig	New Brunswick	Nouveau-Brunswick
Neufundland	Newfoundland	Terre-Neuve
Neuschottland	Nova Scotia	Nouvelle-Écosse
Ontario	Ontario	Ontario
Prinz-Eduard-Insel	Prince-Edward-Island	Île-du-Prince-Édouard
Québec	Québec	Québec
Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan

3 Territories
Name in German:	Name in English:	Nom en Français:
Nordwest-Territorien	Northwest-Territories	Territoires du Nord-Ouest
Nunavut-Territorium	Nunavut Territory	Territoire du Nunavut
Yukon-Territorium	Yukon Territory	Territoire du Yukon

Landscapes
Name in German:	Name in English:	Nom en Français:
Labrador	Labrador	Labrador
Akadien	Acadia	Acadie

History

ca. 30000 years B.C. · first settlement by native tribes

ca. 1000 · Normans reach the Canadian eastern coast

1497 · Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot), an Italian seafarer in the services of England discovers Labrador, Newfoundland and Cape Breton

1534–1535 · the Frenchman Jacques Cartier explores the Saint-Lawrence-Stream and appropriates the land on both sides for France, but an attempt of colonization near the today's City of Québec failes initially

16th cent. · England, Portugal and Spain exercise fishing rights and establish momentaryly fishery bases

1576 · Martin Frobisher, an English seafarer, discovers the coast of Baffin Island

17th cent. · expeditions under Henry Hudson, William Baffin and Robert Bylot

1603–1606 · expedition of colonization by Samuel de Champlain, first settlements arise

1608 · Champlain founds Québec, summary of all French possessions in the today's Canada as "New France"

1663 · New France becomes a French crown colony

1670 · English furriers establish the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), the HBC colonizes in the afteryears whole Canada between New France, the Rocky Mountains, Labrador and the northern rand of the Hudson Bay

1679–1682 · the Frenchman La Salle explores the Great Lakes and the river Mississippi

17th–18th cent. · French colonization of the region around the Great Lakes and along the river Mississippi (Louisiana), the region northern of the Great Lakes is named Canada

1713 · Peace of Utrecht, France has to cede the today's New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Island of Newfoundland to United Kingdom

1763 · Peace of Paris, France has to cede all its north american possessions to United Kingdom (British Northern America), except St. Pierre and Miquelon

1775–1776 · defence of diverse attacks by anti-British rebels from New England

1783 · immigration of 35 000 loyal US-Americans

1812–1814 · defence of diverse attacks of troops of the USA

1824 · Newfoundland becomes a British crown colony

1840 · union of the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec and Ontario in one colony (Kanada) with an own constitution

1855 · Newfoundland becomes a British Dominion (colony with own parliament)

1867 · establishment of the Confederation of Canada (Dominion of Canada – with an own parliament) because of demands for autonomy, confederation by the four founding provinces New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario and Nova Scotia

1869 · the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) cedes all their territorial rights and prerogatives to the British Dominion of Canada

1870 · formation of the Northwest-Territories from the former properties of the HBC, Rupertsland and Northwestern Territories, the Arctic Islands come under direct British administration

1870 · establishment of the Province of Manitoba by dividing of the Northwest Territories

1871 · British Columbia becomes a Canadian province

1876 · establishment of the Keewatin Territory by dividing off the Northwest Territories

1880 · incorporation of the Arctic Islands into the Northwest Territories

1881 · enlargement of the Province of Manitoba by annexation of territories of the Keewatin Territory

1882 · enlargement of the Province of Ontario in the northwest by annexation of parts of Western Rupertsland

1883 · establishment of the Territories Alberta, Athabaska, Saskatchewan and Assiniboia by dividing off the Northwest Territories

1895 · establishment of the District of Franklin and the District of Mackenzie within the Northwest Territories, establishment of the Ungava Territory on Labrador, of the Yukon Territory in the outer northwest by dividing off the Northwest Territories

1898 · enlargement of the Province of Quebéc in the northwest by annexation of parts of the Ungava Territory

1905 · incorporation of Keewatin as district in the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan get enlarged by annexion of Assiniboia and Athabaska and joined as provinces into the Dominion of Canada

1912 · enlargement of the Province of Ontario by annexation of the leftovers of Western Rupertsland, enlargement of the Province of Quebéc by annexation of the leftovers of the Ungava Territory, once again enlargement of the Province of Manitoba by annexation of the southern regions of the District of Keewatin

1914–1918 · First World War, the Dominion of Canada has to give troops for United Kingdom

1925 · extension of the borders of the Northwest Territory as sector's frontiers towards the North Pole

1st of December 1931 · Statute of Westminster, United Kingdom grants Canada full military sovereignty as well in foreign policy

1934 · Newfoundland is administrated by United Kingdom again because of economical problems

1939–1945 · the British Dominion Canada intervenes on the side of United Kingdom and the USA in the Second World War, the USA build military bases in the British Dominion of Newfoundland

1949 · Canada is founding member of the NATO, dissolution of the British control over the constitution thereby extension of the rights of the Canadian parliament

31st of March 1949 · Newfoundland joines after a plebiscite to the State of Canada as 10th province, the USA military bases stay

1950–1953 · Canada is committed on the sides of the USA in the Korean War

1968 · foundation of the Franko-Canadian and separatist Party of Québec (Parti Québécois, PQ) to achieve a full separation from Canada

1976 · victory of the Parti Québécois in Québec, demands for Québec`s independence, French becomes official language in Québec

1980 · plebiscite for independence in Québec (justly rejected)

1982 · new constitution, United Kingdom disclaims for all by British laws given power over Canada

1990 · demands for Québec`s independence

1995 · plebiscite for independence in Québec (justly rejected)

1st of April 1999 · establishment of the Eskimo Nunavut Territory with an own regional government by dividing off the Northwest Territories at the cost of the District of Keewatin, of nearly the whole District of Franklin and of large parts of the District of Mackenzie

Source: Atlas zur Geschichte, Discovery '97, Weltgeschichte, Wikipedia (D)

Origin of the Country's Name

The name of the country goes back to the Indians from the tribe of the Irkoese. In their language, kanata means "village" or "settlement ." The French researcher Jacques Cartier transferred the directions to a kanata to the whole area, which succeed successfully and very quickly as the name for the region.

Source: Handbuch der geographischen Namen, Wikipedia (D)