Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, stretching from the Atlantic to the Arctic Oceans and sharing the longest international land border with the United States. Indigenous peoples continuously inhabited the land for millennia before British and French expeditions began settlement in the 16th century, with France ceding most of its North American colonies by 1763 after various conflicts.

Formed as a federal dominion in 1867 through Confederation, Canada gradually achieved full autonomy from the United Kingdom, culminating with the Canada Act 1982. Today, this officially bilingual (English and French) parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with its capital in Ottawa, is globally recognized for its high quality of life, robust multiculturalism, and advanced, resource-rich economy. It is a developed nation with a high per capita income, playing a significant role in international peacekeeping and aid as a middle power.