THE LAND

Situated north of the USA, between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Canada is the world's second largest country. It extends some 7700 km (4775 miles) east to west and 4600 km (2850 miles) north to south. Nearly 90% of Canadians huddle along the 6379 km (3955 miles) southern border with the USA. Though much of the land is lake and river filled forest, there are mountains, plains and even a small desert. The Great Plains, or prairies, cover Manitoba, Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta. These former grasslands are now responsible for Canada's abundant wheat crop. Western Canada is known for its Rocky Mountains, while the east has the country's major cities and also its most visited geographic feature, Niagara Falls. The Canadian Shield, an ancient, rocky and glacially sanded region, formed more than 2.5 billion years ago, covers most of the north of the country. The Arctic region, in the far north, is where you'll find frozen tundra merging into islands that are ice-bound for most of the year.

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It is located in the province of Ontario, along the border with Quebec.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a federal state with a democratic parliament. The Parliament of Canada, in Ottawa, consists of the House of Commons, whose members are elected, and the Senate, whose members are appointed. On average, members of Parliament are elected every four years.

Canada has six time zones. The easternmost, in Newfoundland, is three hours and 30 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The other time zones are the Atlantic, the Eastern, the Central, the Rocky Mountain and, farthest west, the Pacific, which is eight hours behind GMT.

THE PEOPLE

Multiculturalism is a fundamental characteristic of Canadian society. Already approximately two-fifths of the Canadian population has one origin other than British, French or Aboriginal. The indigenous people are mainly North American Indian, Métis, or Inuit. Other than that, you have people from all over the world that have immigrated to Canada, from Indians to Chinese.

According to the 1991 census, more than four-fifths of Canadians are Christian, with Catholics accounting for About Canada 47% of the population and Protestants About Canada 36%. Other religions include Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Some 12.5%, more than any single denomination except Roman Catholic, have no religious affiliation at all.

SOCIAL PSYCHE

In general, the manners of English-speaking Canadians are similar to those of English-speaking U.S citizens. The French province of Quebec has quite a different value system from the rest of Canada.

• Consumerism is well developed in all provinces.
• Friendships are few and specific to needs.
• An objective approach to life allows the use of social organizations and other external structures to provide stability and insulation from life.
• Emotion is not to be shown in public.
• Competitive behavior is expected, since recognition is one's greatest reward.
• Time is money.

Despite similarities, English-speaking Canadians are closer to the reserved traditions of the British than U.S citizens. French Canadians generally exhibit less reserve than English-speaking Canadians.

BUSINESS PSYCHE

Canada is a multiethnic nation - British, French, Inuit, Indian, German, and so forth and the etiquette of business people may reflect their ethnic background. Canada's multicultural nature will become even more of an asset in the emerging global economy. Canadian companies already recognize the benefits and are drawing on the cultural diversity of our work force to obtain the language and cultural skills needed to compete successfully in international markets.

• Canadians in general are well informed and open to reasonable discussions.
• The French province of Quebec is less open. They are quite analytical and prefer objective information over subjective.
• They act on problems more from the perspective of universal rules than from the particular perspectives of the people involved.
• Canadians business people expect a firm hand-shake, direct eye contact and an open, friendly manner.
• There is extremely high individualism in decision making, but one must follow company policy.
• A need for privacy prohibits discussing one's family and personal affairs in business negotiations
• Material progress is as important as humanistic progress.
• Although there are inequalities in roles, equal rights should be guaranteed to all, as superiors and subordinates are "people like me".
• Punctuality is very important. For more information.
• Business cards are exchanged at the beginning of meetings with both hands.

CUSTOMS

There are certain social customs and norms unique to the Canadians. When you meet people, or are introduced to people, there are some things you should keep in mind:

• The normal form of greeting is a smile, often accompanied by a nod, a wave, and/or a verbal greeting.
• In business situations, you shake hands firmly, and you wait for a woman to offer you her hand before shaking it.
• In casual situations you could smile and say hello.
• Wave if you see someone you know at a distance.
• When asked 'How are you?' you should respond with a simple 'Fine, thank you.'

How you address a person when introduced is important, and while many Canadians quickly address others by their first names, it is safest to wait for your Canadian counterpart to suggest it. You must remember a few things:

• Do not use first names unless you are invited to.
• The order of most names is first name, middle name and last name.
• Be respectful and use a title such as Dr., Ms., Miss, Mrs., or Mr. with the last name.
• If you are not sure of a woman's marital status use Ms. (pronounced `Miz').
• When meeting someone for the first time, use a title and their last name until you are told to do otherwise.
• Introduce yourself as you want to be called.

Gifts are not expected, but are polite as tokens and a good way of showing appreciation. These are a few do's and don'ts of gift-giving:

• When making a social call, flowers, a plant, or a bottle of wine, or candy for children are acceptable gifts.
• At Christmas time, gifts are usually exchanged both socially as well as at work. Business associates appreciate things for the office, liquor or wine.
• If you stay with someone in Canada, a thank you gift would be a good idea.
• Unless it's Christmas time, gifts are usually unwrapped on receipt.
• Taking someone out for a meal or other entertainment is a common gift.
• Personal gifts such as perfume or clothing are inappropriate for women.
• Indian curios also make good gifts.