March 25, 2016

2404-2406 CANADA - The map and the flag of the country

2404-2405 The map of Canada

Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. It shares land borders with the contiguous United States to the south, and the US state of Alaska to the northwest. This is the world's longest land border. It is the world's second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area. The majority of Canada has a cold or severely cold winter climate, but southerly areas are warm in summer. The capital of the country is Ottawa, and the most populous city is Toronto.

2406 The flag of Canada

Boreal forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in the Arctic regions and through the Rocky Mountains, and the relatively flat Canadian Prairies facilitate agriculture. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River where lowlands host much of Canada's population. It has over 2,000,000 lakes, more than any other country, containing much of the world's fresh water. There are also fresh-water glaciers in the Canadian Rockies and the Coast Mountains. Western Canada has many volcanoes and is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Aboriginal peoples in present-day Canada include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. The aboriginal population at the time of the first European settlements is estimated to have been between 200,000 and two million. As a consequence of contact with European diseases, Canada's aboriginal peoples suffered from repeated outbreaks of newly introduced infectious diseases, resulting in a forty to eighty percent population decrease in the centuries after the European arrival.

Beginning in the 15th century, British and French colonies were established on the Atlantic coast, with the first establishment of a region called "Canada" occurring in 1537. As a consequence of various conflicts, the United Kingdom gained and lost territories within British North America until left, in the late 18th century, with what mostly geographically comprises Canada today. In 1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia joined to form the autonomous federal Dominion of Canada.

This began an accretion of provinces and territories to the self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada. In 1931, Canada achieved near total independence from the United Kingdom with the Statute of Westminster 1931, and full sovereignty was attained when the Canada Act 1982 removed the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the British parliament. However, it remained a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state.

The country is officially bilingual at federal level. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture.

The flag of Canada consists of a red field with a white square at its centre, in the middle of which is featured a stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf. Designed by George Stanley, the flag made its first official appearance on February 15, 1965, but the maple leaf has been used as a Canadian emblem since the 1700s. The width of the Maple Leaf flag is twice the height. The white field is a Canadian pale (a square central band in a vertical triband flag, named after this flag); each bordering red field is exactly half its size.

About the stamps
On the postcard 2404
The stamp is part of a series of five definitive stamps, Baby Wildlife, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 2405
United States
The stamp is part of a series dedicated to Martín Ramírez, about which I wrote here. The second stamp is part of the definitives series American Design, about which I wrote here. About the third, depicting the president Abraham Lincoln, I wrote here. The fourth stamp, dedicated to Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982), is part of the series Legends of Hollywood, about which I wrote here.
Canada
The first stamp is part of a series of five definitive stamps, Baby Wildlife, about which I wrote here. The last stamp is part of the series Beneficial Insects, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 2406
United States
About the first stamp, depicting the president Abraham Lincoln, I wrote here. The second stamp is part of the definitives series American Design, about which I wrote here. The third stamp, which honors Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964), is part of the series Literary Arts, about which I wrote here. About the last stamp, which showcases the portrait of Maya Angelou (1928-2014), I wrote here.
Canada
The stamp is part of the series Beneficial Insects, about which I wrote here.

References
Canada - Wikipedia

Sender 2404-2406: Denise 
2404: Sent from Montreal (Quebec / Canada), on 16.09.2015
2405: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 25.09.2015
Photo: Jim Lemieux 
2406: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 25.09.2015

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