The course Work of KHarina Elizaveta Group 1 "J" Zrafshan 2010

A hockey game at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec

Canada's National symbols are influenced by natural, historical, and First Nations sources. The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates to the early 18th century. The maple leaf is depicted on Canada's current and previous flags, on the penny, and on the Coat of Arms.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-symbol1-201 Other prominent symbols include the beaver, Canada Goose, Common Loon, the Crown, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-symbol1-201 and more recently, the totem pole and Inukshuk.

Canada's official national sports are hockey in the winter and lacrosse in the summer.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-202 Hockey is a national pastime and the most popular spectator sport in the country. It is also the sport most played by Canadians, with 1.65 million participants in 2004.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-sports-203 Canada's six largest metropolitan areas-Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton-have franchises in the National Hockey League, and there are more Canadian players in the NHL than from all other countries combined. Other popular spectator sports include curling and football; the latter is played professionally in the Canadian Football League. Golf, baseball, skiing, soccer, volleyball, and basketball are widely played at youth and amateur levels,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-sports-203 but professional leagues and franchises are not widespread.

Canada has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, including the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and the 2007 FIFA U_20 World Cup. Canada is the host nation for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-204

11. Language

Main article: Spoken languages of Canada

See also: Official bilingualism in Canada, Canadian English, and Canadian French

The population of Quebec City, Quebec is mainly French-speaking, with a small English-speaking population.

Canada's two official languages are English and French. Official bilingualism is defined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Official Languages Act, and Official Language Regulations; it is applied by the Commissioner of Official Languages. English and French have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions. Citizens have the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French, and official-language minorities are guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-205

English and French are the mother tongues of 59.7% and 23.2% of the population respectively,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-statcan_language-206 and the languages most spoken at home by 68.3% and 22.3% of the population respectively.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-207 98.5% of Canadians speak English or French .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-statcan_language2-208 English and French Official Language Communities, defined by First Official Language Spoken, constitute 73.0% and 23.6% of the population respectively.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-statcan_language2-208

Although more than 85% of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, there are substantial Francophone populations in Ontario, Alberta, and southern Manitoba.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-209 New Brunswick, the only officially bilingual province, has an Acadian population in the northern and southeastern parts of that province, constituting 33% of the population.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-210 There are also clusters of Acadians in southwestern Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island, and through central and western Prince Edward Island. Ontario has the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec. The Charter of the French Language makes French the official language in Quebec.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-211

Other provinces have no official languages as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and for other government services in addition to English. Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec allow for both English and French to be spoken in the provincial legislatures, and laws are enacted in both languages. In Ontario, French has some legal status but is not fully co-official.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-212 Several aboriginal languages have official status in the Northwest Territories.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-213 Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut, and one of three official languages in the territory.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-214http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-215

Languages other than the two official languages are significant in Canada, with over six million people listing one as a first language. Some of the most common non-official first languages include Chinese, Italian, German, Punjabi and Spanish .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada - cite_note-statcan_language-206

12. International rankings