Editing Canada (section)

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Canada}}
[[File:Canada-satellite.jpg|thumb|250px|A satellite composite image of Canada. [[taiga|Boreal forests]] prevail on the rocky [[Canadian Shield]]. Ice and [[tundra]] are prominent in the [[Arctic]]. Glaciers are visible in the [[Canadian Rockies]] and [[Coast Mountains]]. Flat and fertile [[prairie]]s facilitate agriculture. The [[Great Lakes]] feed the [[Saint Lawrence River]] (in the southeast), where lowlands host much of Canada's population.]]

Canada occupies a major northern portion of North America, sharing the land borders with the [[contiguous United States]] to the south and the US state of [[Alaska]] to the northwest, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean.<ref>{{cite web| title = Canada: Geography| work = Country Profiles | publisher = Commonwealth Secretariat | url =http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookInternal/138398/geography/ | accessdate=2011-05-23}}
</ref><ref name="cia">
{{cite web |publisher= Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html|title=World Factbook: Canada |date=May 16, 2006 |accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref>
By total area (including its waters), Canada is the [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|second-largest country]] in the world, after Russia. By land area, Canada [[List of countries and outlying territories by land area|ranks fourth]].<ref name="cia" />

The country lies between latitudes [[41st parallel north|41°]] and [[84th parallel north|84°N]], and longitudes [[52nd meridian west|52°]] and [[141st meridian west|141°W]].
Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between [[60th meridian west|60°]] and 141°W [[longitude]],<ref>{{cite web |publisher= National Resources Canada |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/historical/territorialevolution/1927/1|title=Territorial Evolution, 1927|date=April 6, 2004|accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref>
but this claim is not universally recognized. The northernmost settlement in Canada (and in the world) is [[CFS Alert|Canadian Forces Station Alert]] on the northern tip of [[Ellesmere Island]] – latitude 82.5°N – 817&nbsp;kilometres (450&nbsp;nautical miles, 508&nbsp;miles) from the North Pole.<ref>{{cite journal | publisher = National Defence Canada|last=Susic|first=Stela | date = August 15, 2006 | title =Air Force becomes command authority for CFS Alert|journal=The Maple Leaf|volume=12| issue= 17| url =http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Commun/ml-fe/article-eng.asp?id=5317 | accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref>
Much of the Canadian Arctic is covered by ice and [[permafrost]]. Canada also has the longest coastline in the world: {{convert|202080|km|mi}}.<ref name="cia"/>

[[File:Canadian Horseshoe Falls with Buffalo in background.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A semi-circular waterfall between two outcrops of forest|The [[Horseshoe Falls]] in [[Niagara Falls, Ontario]], is one of the world's most voluminous waterfalls,<ref>{{cite web |publisher= Natural Resources Canada |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/supergeneral.html |title=Significant Canadian Facts |date=April 5, 2004|accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref> renowned both for its beauty and as a valuable source of [[hydroelectric power]].]]

Since the last [[glacial period]] Canada has consisted of eight distinct forest regions, including extensive [[taiga|boreal]] forest on the Canadian Shield.<ref>{{cite book
|title = National Atlas of Canada
|publisher = Natural Resources Canada
|year = 2005
|isbn = 0770511988 |page = 1}}
</ref> Canada has more lakes than any other country, containing much of the world's fresh water.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bailey|first=William G|coauthors=Oke, TR; Rouse, Wayne R|title=The surface climates of Canada|publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press|year=1997|page=124|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oxNMhw-rRrQC&pg=PA244|isbn=0773516727}}</ref>
There are also fresh-water glaciers in the [[Canadian Rockies]] and the [[Coast Mountains]].
Canada is geologically active, having many earthquakes and potentially active volcanoes, notably [[Mount Meager]], [[Mount Garibaldi]], [[Mount Cayley]], and the [[Mount Edziza volcanic complex]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Etkin | first = David | coauthors = Haque, CE; Brooks, Gregory R | title = An Assessment of Natural Hazards and Disasters in Canada | publisher = Springer | date = April 30, 2003 | pages =569, 582, 583 |isbn = 9781402011795}}</ref> The volcanic eruption of [[Tseax Cone]] in 1775 caused a catastrophic disaster, killing 2,000 [[Nisga'a people]] and destroying their village in the [[Nass River]] valley of northern British Columbia; the eruption produced a {{convert|22.5|km|adj=on}} lava flow, and according to legend of the Nisga'a people, it blocked the flow of the Nass River.<ref>{{cite web | title = Tseax Cone | work = Catalogue of Canadian volcanoes | publisher = [[Geological Survey of Canada]] | date = August 19, 2005 | url = http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/volcanoes/cat/volcano_e.php?id=svb_tsx_107 | accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref>

The [[population density]], {{convert|3.3|PD/km2}}, is among the lowest in the world. The most densely populated part of the country is the [[Quebec City&nbsp;– Windsor Corridor]], situated in Southern Quebec and [[Southern Ontario]] along the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/peopleandsociety/population/population2001/density2001|title=Population Density, 2001|date=June 15, 2005|work=Atlas of Canada|publisher=Natural Resources Canada|accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref>

Average winter and summer high [[Temperature in Canada|temperatures across Canada]] vary according to the location. Winters can be harsh in many regions of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces, which experience a [[continental climate]], where daily average temperatures are near −15&nbsp;°[[Celsius|C]] (5&nbsp;°[[Fahrenheit|F]]) but can drop below {{convert|-40|°C|°F|abbr=on}} with severe [[wind chill]]s.<ref>{{cite web |author=[[The Weather Network]]|url=http://www.theweathernetwork.com/statistics/C02072/CASK0261?CASK0261 |title=Statistics, Regina SK |accessdate=2010-01-18 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090105062344/http://www.theweathernetwork.com/statistics/C02072/CASK0261?CASK0261 |archivedate=January 5, 2009}}</ref> In noncoastal regions, snow can cover the ground almost six months of the year (more in the north). Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. On the east and west coasts, average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C (70s °F), while between the coasts, the average summer high temperature ranges from {{convert|25|to|30|C|F}}, with occasional extreme heat in some interior locations exceeding {{convert|40|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= Environment Canada |url=http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html |title=Canadian Climate Normals or Averages 1971–2000|date=March 25, 2004|accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref>{{clearright}}