Canada occupies a major northern portion of North America, sharing land borders with the continental United States to the south and with the U.S. 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. By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second largest country in the world—after Russia—and largest on the continent. 

Canada's 2006 census counted a total population of 31,612,897, an increase of 5.4% since 2001.  Population growth is from immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth. About three-quarters of Canada's population live within 150 kilometres (90 mi) of the US border.  A similar proportion live in urban areas concentrated in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor (notably the Greater Golden Horseshoe including Toronto and area, Montreal, and Ottawa), the BC Lower Mainland (consisting of the region surrounding Vancouver), and the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor in Alberta.

1 Toronto, Ontario - 5,113,149 
2 Montreal, Quebec - 3,635,571
3 Vancouver, British Columbia - 2,116,581
4 Ottawa, Ontario - 1,130,761
5 Calgary, Alberta - 1,079,310
6 Edmonton, Alberta - 1,034,945
7 Quebec City, Quebec - 715,515
8 Winnipeg, Manitoba - 694,668
9 Hamilton, Ontario - 692,911
10 London, Ontario - 457,720
11 Kitchener, Ontario - 451,235
12 St. Catharines, Ontario - 390,317
13 Halifax, Nova Scotia - 372,858
14 Oshawa, Ontario - 330,594
15 Victoria, British Columbia - 330,088
16 Windsor, Ontario - 323,342
17 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - 233,923
18 Regina, Saskatchewan - 194,971
19 Sherbrooke, Quebec - 186,952
20 St. John's, Newfoundland - 181,113

According to the 2006 census, there are 43 ethnic origins that at least one hundred thousand people in Canada claim in their background.  The largest ethnic group is English (21%), followed by French (15.8%), Scottish (15.2%), Irish (13.9%), German (10.2%), Italian (5%), Chinese (4%), Ukrainian (3.6%), and First Nations (3.5%); Approximately, one third of respondents identified their ethnicity as "Canadian".  Canada's aboriginal population is growing almost twice as fast as the Canadian average, and 3.8% of Canada's population claimed aboriginal identity in 2006. Also, 16.2% of the population belonged to non-aboriginal visible minorities.

In 2001, 49% of the Vancouver population and 42.8% of Toronto's population were visible minorities. In March 2005, Statistics Canada projected that people of non-European origins will constitute a majority in both Toronto and Vancouver by 2012. According to Statistics Canada's forecasts, the number of visible minorities in Canada is expected to double by 2017. A survey released in 2007 reveals that virtually 1 in 5 Canadians (19.8%) are foreign born.  Nearly 60% of new immigrants hail from Asia (including the Middle East).

Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world, driven by economic policy and family reunification; Canada also accepts large numbers of refugees. Newcomers settle mostly in the major urban areas of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. In the 2006 census, there were 5,068,100 people considered to belong to a visible minority, making up 16.2% of the population. Between 2001 and 2006, the visible minority population rose by 27.2 %.

Canadian provinces and territories are responsible for education. Each system is similar, while reflecting regional history, culture and geography.  The mandatory school age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years, contributing to an adult literacy rate that is 99%. Postsecondary education is also administered by provincial and territorial governments, who provide most of the funding; the federal government administers additional research grants, student loans and scholarships. In 2002, 43% of Canadians aged between 25 and 64 had post-secondary education; for those aged 25 to 34 the post-secondary education rate reaches 51%.

Canada's two official languages are English and French. Official bilingualism in Canada is law, 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. The public has 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.