1)The spring, blossom festivals flourish across Canada, especially in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

2) Alberta’s Calgary Exhibition and Stampede in July is world-famous.

3) The Niagara Falls.

4) Wine Festival and autumn-colour tours in central Ontario and the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec.

5) Natural state for use as national, marine, and provincial parks, such as the world-famous Jasper.

6) Banff national parks.

Tourism has become one of the leading industries of Canada. In 1997 the country was visited by some 45 million tourists, of whom about 90 per cent came from the United States. Income from tourism was about US$7,980 million a year in 1996.

From Calgary to:Edmonton 3 hours

Banff 1.5 hours

Lake Louise 2 hours

Canmore 1 1/4 hours

Jasper 5 hours

Waterton 4 hours

Regina, SK 8.5 hours

Vancouver, BC 12 hours

From Edmonton to:

Calgary 3 hours

Jasper 4 hours

Banff 5 hours

Red Deer 1.5 hours

Fort McMurray 5 hours

From Banff to:Lake Louise 40 min

Canmore 15 min

Columbia Ice Fields 2 hours

Jasper 3.5 hours

Panorama, BC 2 hours

Golden, BC 1.5 hours

Vancouver, BC 10 hours

From Jasper to:

Hinton 1 hour

Lake Louise 2.5 hours

Banff 3.5 hours

Vancouver, BC 9 hours

For the most part, the historical points of interest in Alberta commemorate the province's early traders and settlers. Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, in Rocky Mountain House, contains trading posts owned by the North West Company and by its rival, the Hudson's Bay Company. Other sites of note are Heritage Park in Calgary, an area of preserved historic buildings; Fort Edmonton Park; Fort Whoop-up, a reproduction of the early fort, in Lethbridge; and Fort Macleod, a replica of Alberta's first North West Mounted Police post established in 1874.

Jasper National Park, Alberta The Canadian province of Alberta has five national parks, with Banff and Jasper attracting more visitors than all other Canadian national parks. Jasper is located in the Rocky Mountains, just east of the Continental Divide. Maligne Lake and Spirit Island, above, are representative of the park’s alpine beauty.

Banff National Park, in south-western Alberta, Canada, formally established in 1885. Located on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, it is famous for its spectacular mountain scenery.

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park. It originally comprised an area 26 sq km (10 sq mi) in extent, around hot springs that had been discovered in 1883. Countering a plan for the purchase and commercial exploitation of these hot springs, the Canadian government declared the area a public land reserve. In 1887, the park was expanded to take in a total area of 6,640 sq km (2,564 sq mi).

As well as hot springs the park contains waterfalls, densely forested valleys, alpine meadows, glaciers, and many glacial lakes, including Lake Louise. The park's abundant wildlife includes puma, black and grizzly bears, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat. There are 20 camping sites and 1,300 km (over 800 mi) of hiking routes and trails, which can be used for cross-country skiing in winter. Canoeing and water sports are also popular leisure activities. However, the large numbers of visitors that the park attracts make it difficult to maintain as a conservation area.

Louise, Lake, glacial lake in south-western Alberta, Canada. Lake Louise is located at an elevation of 1,731 m (5,680 ft) in Banff National Park, near the town of Lake Louise. The lake is about 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long and 1.2 km (0.75 mi) wide. Sheltered by the Rocky Mountains, Lake Louise is known for the tranquil beauty of its turquoise-blue surface, which mirrors nearby scenic forests and snowcapped peaks. The lake is fed from the north by the spectacular Victoria Glacier and is drained by the Bow River in the south-east. Lake Louise was named in 1884 after the Canadian Governor-General's wife, who was also the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. The lake became a tourist attraction after the Canadian Pacific Railway route passed nearby, and the company built the grand hotel, Chateau Lake Louise, on the shore of the lake.

The Calgary Tower is a great place to get a first class view and perspective of the Calgary area. It is a city landmark and a symbol that became well known during the Winter Olympics of 1988. At that time a flame burned from the top of the tower and this still occurs on holidays and special occasions. The tower is 191 metres in height and a high-speed elevator easily reaches the top. As well as an observation gallery - that affords a view of the whole area from the Rockies in the west, to the wide expanse of the prairies in the east - there is a revolving restaurant, and at the very top a cocktail lounge.

Chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede Nightime aerial view of the Calgary Tower

HISTORY The area near Calgary was home to the Blackfoot Indians for at least hundreds of years. In the 18th Century the Stoney and the Sarcee bands arrived in the region. Fort Calgary came into existence as a North West Mounted Police settlement in 1875. The police were dispatched to the area to deal with the lawlessness and unrest among the Indian tribes and the white settlers. The name Calgary means 'clear running water' in Gaelic that probably referred to the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers where the fort was established. You can still visit the remains of the fort today. The Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in 1883. Settlement was encouraged by the offer of free land and by 1891 the population was already over 4000. At the end of the 1800s there was a lot of immigration north by settlers from the United States, attracted by the fine grazing country Southern Alberta had to offer. Soon Calgary and region was cowboy country, and with the closeness of the railway, Calgary became a transportation and meatpacking hub. Apart from the Stampede and the proud cultural heritage of the cowboy, cattle and ranching are still very important in the region.

The Downtown Calgary Skyline

Niagara Falls (city, Canada), city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, south-eastern Ontario, Canada, a port on the Niagara River opposite Niagara Falls, New York. Overlooking the Canadian, or Horseshoe, Falls cataract of Niagara Falls, the city is a popular tourist destination; the crescent-shaped cataract is 49 m (161 ft) high and carries nine times more water than its United States counterpart. It also serves as a major source of electricity for Ontario. The city is connected to the US side of the falls by several bridges, including the Rainbow and Whirlpool Rapids bridges. Factories here produce processed food, machinery, abrasives, chemicals, silverware, metal goods, and alcoholic beverages. Storage, warehousing, and telephone call centres are also important to the city’s economy.

Points of interest include Queen Victoria Park, adjacent to the Canadian Falls, which contains the Oakes Garden Theatre; Niagara Falls Museum (1827), one of the oldest museums in North America, featuring displays of art and historical materials; the historical museum at Lundy's Lane, site of a brutal battle between American and British forces in 1814, which includes exhibits on local history; Marineland, with an aquatic theatre and a game farm; and the Niagara International Centre, which contains Skylon, a tall tower with an observation deck overlooking the falls. Mount Carmel College and the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture are here. Originally called Elgin, the community merged with Clifton in 1856, was renamed in 1881, and was incorporated as a city in 1904. In 1963 the city was greatly expanded when it merged with Stamford township. Niagara Falls has continued to grow commercially and culturally, in part due to its flourishing tourist industry. Population 76,917 (1996).

Niagara Falls (city, United States), city, New York, United States. Located on the Niagara River, opposite Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. This is a major tourist centre situated at the American Falls; the main attractions are included in New York State Niagara Reservation (1885). The city also manufactures chemicals, machinery, forestry products, and processed foods; hydroelectric power is a major product. Niagara University (1856) is nearby.

Niagara Falls is, undoubtedly, one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world. It receives 20 million visitors annually. More camera film is sold here than anywhere else in the world. Niagara Falls is a natural phenomenon but its commercial attractions make it much more than that. It is a unique combination of nature at its finest and intriguing man-made creations. It caters to all tastes, and that is the key to its success as a tourist attraction.

CLIMATE Niagara Falls is a great place to visit for all seasons. Although the winter is cold, it has a special magic of its own and the landscape is totally transformed. Spring brings thousands of tulips and daffodils. Summers are mainly warm and sunny, and fall brings a magnificent array of colours along the banks of the river and in the many parks.

FEATURED ATTRACTIONS The FallsThink of the actual attraction of Niagara Falls and most people think of visitors in yellow-hooded raincoats viewing the falls up-close from the 'Maid of the Mist' boat. This is the classical Niagara Falls attraction, and is a phenomenal experience. The boat departs every 15 minutes and takes visitors in front of the American Falls and into the Horseshoe of the Canadian Falls. You will soon understand the reason behind the raincoats, which are included in the price of the ticket.

1) Anyone with the jitters should check out the US State Dept Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets. Written by a generally over-protective Uncle Sam, these `sheets' provide useful information on the risks US citizens take when they undertake to leave the home of the brave. 2) The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office provides more succinct and restrained Travel Advice targeted at British citizens, but most of it is relevant to all travelers. 3) The Nolo.com Self-Help Law Center's Trouble Free Travel Advice has advice on keeping you out of trouble with the law and shank operators while on the road. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade has useful snippets in its Consular Travel Advice. 4) Have a look at Tick-it Tees Travel Site for their links, toolbox and their Travel Fact Grab Bag.

1) All the facts and Fans about travel insurance are provided in this brief but succinct page on the Money World site. 2) If you're bamboozled by the sheer number of travel insurance policies on offer and whether or not you ought to go for the 'protection against terrorist attack' policy, Travel Assist may help you sort it out. 3) Redbook asks the largely rhetorical question 'Is Travel Insurance worth It'. Cannon asks the same question and surprisingly says, well, kind of, not really, it all depends. 4)Tricky things, those travel insurance policies. Saving Money on Travel Insurance will tell you how to, um, save money on travel insurance.

1) Whatever your nationality, wherever you're headed, travelSERIAL NUMBERcomSERIAL NUMBERau's Check Visa Requirements will put you straight on the paperwork you needSERIAL NUMBER 2) The Embassy Page has a fairly good hotlink listing of embassies and consulates around the world 3) The Electronic Embassy has hotlink listings of embassies with a presence mainly in the USASERIAL NUMBER

TOURIST OFFICES1) Where to get online tourist information points to online and real-world tourist offices for 150 countriesSERIAL NUMBER 2) This Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory concentrates on government tourist office addressesSERIAL NUMBER

Among the foundations of Canada's cultural identity are the traditions of its native peoples-SERIAL NUMBER Arguably the country's most distinctive art is that of the Inuit of the north, particularly their stone and bone sculptures and carvings-SERIAL NUMBER Native Indian artists also excel at printmaking, basketry and carving-SERIAL NUMBERIn the past Canadians have struggled with their cultural identity, the cultural infusion from their southern neighbor being particularly overwhelming SERIAL NUMBER During the past three decades this sense of unease has produced a torrent of great writers, including Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Robertson Davies, Michael Ondaatje, Mordecai Richer and Rejoin Discharge, as well as a swag of world-renowned musicians, such as Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, k-SERIAL NUMBER d-SERIAL NUMBER Lang and the Cowboy Junkies SERIAL NUMBEREnglish and French are the country's two official languages, though the province of New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual area in the country SERIAL NUMBER You will, however, notice both languages on maps, tourist brochures and product labels SERIAL NUMBER The French spoken in Canada is not, for the most part, the language of France SERIAL NUMBER In Quebec, where the majority of the population is of French descent, the local tongue is known as Quebecois SERIAL NUMBER Most Quebeckers, however, will understand formal French SERIAL NUMBER The differences between Quebec and English Canada don't just apply to language SERIAL NUMBER The French influence of Quebec can be seen in architecture, music, food and religion SERIAL NUMBER With little in common culturally, it is not difficult to understand how relations between French Quebec and English Canada have often been problematic at best SERIAL NUMBER.

Quality of Life                                               • Canada people enjoy a high quality of life while the cost of living is low.   •Owning a home is affordable for most people. Comparatively speaking, Saskatchewan has one of the lowest housing costs in Canada. •Thanks to a low crime rate, our communities are peaceful and secure. •Using the same United Nation's criteria that has ranked Canada as the best country in which to live, canada gets top ranking of all the provinces in Canada. •Canada's people are often characterized as the most Canadian of all Canadians. Generosity, trust, kindness, and a true spirit of co-operation and teamwork are what make Canada a place where innovative ideas, courage and community spirit flourish. •Our history of welcoming people from all over the world remains in practice today. We are truly a multicultural society that values diversity and celebrates the gifts our varied heritages have to offer.

The educational system in Canada is derived from the British and American traditions and the French tradition, the latter particularly in the province of Quebec. English or French is the language of instruction, and some schools provide instruction in both official languages. Each of the ten provinces has responsibility for establishing and maintaining its own school system. In Quebec, the French-Canadian tradition is followed by the Roman Catholic schools. The province also maintains Protestant schools, however, which are widely attended. Although Canada does not have a central ministry of education, the federal government provides schools for First Nations children, inmates of federal penitentiaries, and the children of military personnel in Europe.

Inaugurating Transport Canada'

The natural water and mountain barriers of Canada, combined with a dispersed population, necessitate efficient and economical transport facilities. Since the earliest explorations of the country, water transport has been indispensable. The St Lawrence-Great Lakes navigation system extends some 3,769 km (2,342 mi) from the Gulf of St Lawrence into the centre of the continent. The opening of the St Lawrence Seaway in 1959 contributed greatly to industrial expansion. In the mid-1990s cargo carried through the Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the seaway exceeded 31 million tonnes. some 77.1 million tonnes, and about 169.8 million tonnes were loaded. The ports in Vancouver, Sept-Îles, Montreal, Port-Cartier, Quebec, Halifax, (Vancouver handled a total of 73.5 million tonnes in 1997, maintaining its position as the leading port on the western coast of North America for total tonnage).

•Farms produce food and other products; every day, each of us consumes or uses something produced on farms. There are approx. 280, 000 farms in Canada.

Major exports are grains, red meats and oilseeds. Major markets are USA, China, Japan and the former USSR. Major imports are fruits, vegetables and nuts. Canada's food prices are among the lowest in the world. More than 98% of all farms in Canada are family owned and operated.

Winter Wheat Harvest, Ontario Winter Wheat Harvest, Ontario Wheat, Canada’s most important crop, is shown being Wheat, Canada’s most important crop, is shown being harvested near Belton, a town in southeastern Ontario. harvested near Belton, a town in southeastern Ontario. Ontario is Canada’s leading agricultural province. Wheat Ontario is Canada’s leading agricultural province. Wheat and other crops account for about one-third of the and other crops account for about one-third of the province’s annual farm production, with livestock and province’s annual farm production, with livestock and livestock products providing the rest.livestock products providing the rest.

•Canada in 1905 •The early 20th century brought prosperity to Canada under the direction of the liberal French-Canadian lawyer, Wilfred Laurier. In 1905 the Canadian government formed two new provinces, bringing the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan into the country. Canada then encompassed a total of nine provinces and two territories. In addition to land expansion, the Laurier years saw rapid industrial and commercial growth within Canada, which created a significant big-business sector.

The Central Experimental Farm was established in 1886. The Minister of Agriculture at the time was Sir John Carling. At the same time 4 other research stations were established across Canada: NAPPAN, Nova Scotia Brandon, Manitoba Indian Head, Saskatchewan AGASSIZ, British Columbia Today there are 18 research stations across Canada. There are numerous stations simply due to different climates, to pography,length of growing seasons, soil

Central Experimental Farm

Canadian Horse •The ancestors of the Canadian horse are among the best horses from Northern France, the first of which arrived in Canada in 1647. Natural selection in the harsh Canadian climate ensured that only the hardiest of animals survived. Although the Canadian horse is smaller than its French ancestors, its strength and endurance are unmatched for its size.

This Speech speaks to the future direction of our country, setting out the agenda that the Government of Canada has established to continue building the Canada we all want, for

ourselves and future generations.Today, more than ever, the 21st century offers new

opportunities and possibilities, choices and avenues that will afford Canada the occasion to showcase our substantial talents to the world. In this regard, we must tap into the

knowledge of the next generation of Canadians -- a generation that is optimistic and eager to create, innovate

and excel.

Home of the Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre, the Cruise Ship Terminal, the CN IMAX Theatre (see separate listing), shops, restaurants and a first-class hotel, Canada Place was established as the site for the Canada Pavilion at EXPO 86. The distinctive sails of the roof are a Vancouver landmark.

Canada Place

Canada Place seen from Stanley Park. The sails of the roof of Canada Place

A. Dinakaran S. Kamalakannan

J. Ramesh M. Parthasarathy G. Parthasarathy

VII STANDARD