Canada is the second largest country in the world in area, after Russia , and has the longest coastline of any country in the world, being next to the Pacific , Arctic , and Atlantic Oceans.

Around 32 million people live in Canada's ten provinces and three territories . Canada covers six time zones , from the west coast to the prairies, central Canada, and the Atlantic provinces; in the north there are three territories, stretching between Alaska and Greenland. The five Great Lakes are shared between Canada and the United States, and make up 16% of the Earth's fresh water . The world's longest city street (Yonge Street in Toronto ) and the world's largest mall (West Edmonton Mall) are both in Canada.

Many people from other parts of the world think of Canada as a very cold and snowy place. While it is true that most of Canada's land is very far north (almost to the North Pole ), most Canadians live in the southern parts, where the weather is much milder. Over 90% of the people live within 100 miles (160 km) of the U.S. border. In some cities the temperature can get very cold in the winter; however, most of Canada can get quite hot in the summer, often over 30 degrees Celsius . On the Pacific coast, there is a lot of rain but very little snow.

Canadians are known to play winter sports such as ice hockey and skiing , while they also enjoy numerous summer activities.