Land boundaries: total 8,893 km, US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with
Alaska)
Coastline: 243,791 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: maritime boundary disputes with the US; Saint
Pierre and Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute between
Canada and France
Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in
north
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in
southeast
Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum,
potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 3% forest and woodland: 35% other: 57%
Irrigated land: 8,400 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely
affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning
utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest
productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural,
industrial, mining, and forestry activities
natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle
to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a
result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and
American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea