Empire · since 1867 · Northern North America
Canada
French and British colonies along the St Lawrence and the Atlantic coast were united under British rule after 1763. In 1867 the Province of Canada, which became Ontario and Quebec, joined Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Confederation to form the Dominion of Canada, led by Prime Minister John A.
Macdonald. The new country acquired the vast Hudson's Bay Company lands in 1870, added Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, and completed a transcontinental railway in 1885, often at the expense of First Nations and Métis peoples. Canadian troops fought in both world wars, and the Statute of Westminster in 1931 confirmed its legislative independence. Newfoundland joined in 1949. Canada built a welfare state, adopted official bilingualism and multiculturalism, and in 1982 brought home its constitution with a Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- Years
- since 1867
- Capital
- Ottawa
- Greatest extent
- 1949, about 9.98 million km²
- Region
- Northern North America
After Newfoundland joined; the world's second-largest country
Legacy
Canada is known for its bilingual federal democracy, though reconciliation with Indigenous peoples remains unfinished.
Rulers
- John A. Macdonald 1867–1873, 1878–1891
First prime minister
- Wilfrid Laurier 1896–1911
First French-Canadian prime minister
- William Lyon Mackenzie King 1921–1926, 1926–1930, 1935–1948
Longest-serving prime minister
- Lester B. Pearson 1963–1968
Introduced the maple leaf flag and universal health care
- Pierre Trudeau 1968–1979, 1980–1984
Brought home the constitution with a Charter of Rights
Realms on the map
- Canada since 1932
Wars
- Second World War 1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945
- Korean War 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953