Part 1 of Essay
Canada, independent nation in North America. A country rich in minerals and agriculture, it was settled by the French and English and became an independent Commonwealth country with a federal system of government, in which the provinces enjoy a large measure of autonomy. Land and Economy. The 2nd-largest country in the wor ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... to the Arctic islands. The Shield, site of once great mountain chains worn down and covered by the sea, contains valuable minerals--gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, and zinc--making Canada one of the most important mining countries in the world. The Shield's N portion is a treeless plain with permanently frozen subsoil; in its S section are forests. Extending from the Shield's W border to the Canadian Rockies are prairies more than 800mi (1,288km) wide that yield wheat, the dominant cro ....