a country in North America: the second largest country in the world; first permanent settlements by Europeans were made by the French from 1605; ceded to Britain in 1763 after a series of colonial wars; established as the Dominion of Canada in 1867; a member of the Commonwealth. It consists generally of sparsely inhabited tundra regions, rich in natural resources, in the north, the Rocky Mountains in the west, the Canadian Shield in the east, and vast central prairies; the bulk of the population is concentrated along the US border and the Great Lakes in the south. Official languages: English and French; indigenous languages also spoken. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: Canadian dollar. Capital: Ottawa. Pop: 36 624 199 (2017 est). Area: 9 976 185 sq km (3 851 809 sq miles)

country in N North America: complete British control achieved, 1763; dominion established, 1867; complete autonomy, 1931: member of the Commonwealth: 3,849,671 sq mi (9,970,610 sq km); pop. 28,847,000; cap. Ottawa