Canada's Economy

As an affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban.

The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US, its principle trading partner. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with the US, which absorbs nearly 80% of Canadian exports each year. Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power. As member of G8, together with the US, Japan, UK, Italy, France, Russia, and Germany; Canada influences World Trade agreements.

Canada Tourism

Tourism plays significant role in Canada's economy. Travelers who want to explore the cities and towns of this country can rely on scheduled flights offered by Air Canada and CanJet. Canada is surrounded by Atlantic, Pacific, and Artic Oceans. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada. They are Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, New Foundland and Labrador, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Colombia, The Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut.

Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada has enjoyed solid economic growth, and prudent fiscal management has produced consecutive balanced budgets from 1997 to 2007. In 2008, growth slowed sharply as a result of the global economic downturn, US housing slump, plunging auto sector demand, and a drop in world commodity prices. Public finances, too, are set to deteriorate for the first time in a decade. Tight global credit conditions have further restrained business and housing investment, despite the conservative lending practices and strong capitalization that made Canada's major banks among the most stable in the world. There are around 30 million people in Canada - a vast and diverse country. Most of them live near the border with the United States of America especially in the southeast provinces such as Ontario and Quebec - a former French colony which is several times bigger than France. There were around 200,000 indigenous people in all Canada when explorer Jacques Cartier landed for the first time in Québec in 1534.

Quebec Canada is a province that is rich of French culture. It is favorite tourist destination in North America. Hilton Québec is a perfect choice for executive and leisure travelers. The guest rooms in the hotel have one or two large size beds. The industrial and economic activities are concentrated in these provinces. Electronic, hydro-power, wood processing and paper industries provide jobs to thousands of people in the region. The Saint Laurence Seaway that flows to Atlantic coast is a busy shipping route that connects Canada with the rest of the world.

Montreal is a modern city filled with skycrapers of any shapes and colors. When in downtown, travelers can enjoy French cuisines while listening to Jazz or Latin music. For overnight stay in Montreal, moderate priced hotels such as Auberge Bonaparte, Hôtel Sainte-Anne and Château Laurier are highly recommended.

The famous Niagra falls are located not far from Toronto - the largest city in Canada. It is also the financial and commercial center of the state. Around 4 million people live in the city. Its CN tower with its revolving restaurant attracts a lot of tourists every day and night. The governmental capital of Canada is Ottawa. It is located in Ontario - a province that is dominated by the Great Lakes. Canadian dollar is the official currency of the country. To procure the currency, travelers can simply withdraw money from an ATM.

Vancouver

The Western region of Canada is worth exploring. British Colombia is big province that is rich of natural resources. Vancouver city - an important trading center of Canada. Most of the downtown is surrounded by sea water. Because there are only a few bridges in downtown, travelers should avoid going to the area during rush hours. SeaBus catamaran plays a significant part in the transportation system of the city. On board the main deck of the boat, tourists can enjoy the stunning view of Vancouver from the sea. Tourists can also enjoy the scenery of the city as far as Victoria on Vancouver island from the Harbour Centre Tower. The Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver provides nice harbor front accommodation. It is located atop the Canada Place cruise-ship terminal. As the province's economic hub, Vancouver is the melting point of Asian and American cultures. Travelers who want to visit Vancouver can take domestic flights served by Air Canada, Air Transat and WestJet. The airplanes will land at Vancouver International Airport that is around 12 kilometers from the downtown. In 2010, the airport the second busiest airport in Canada behind Toronto Pearson International Airport. Vancouver art gallery is the perfect place for anybody who wants to see artworks created by Canadian and international artists. Here we can see hundreds of paintings from Emily Carr who was a famous artist in Canada especially the West Coast region. Her works are sought after by art collectors both in North America and Europe.

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Center - If you are a marine lover, then you must see this place. It is located by the ocean. The aquarium has a large collection of fish from dolphins to killer whales. But don't worry, the fish won't bite you. You can see them from behind thick glass sheets under the aquarium. This aquarium is not only constructed for tourism purposes but also for marine study. Water for the fish tank is pumped from the Burrard Inlet.

In bahasa Indonesia Perekonomian Kanada