1. the second-largest country in the world, covering the entire northern half of North America with the exception of Alaska; pop. 26,832,400 (1991); official languages, English and French; capital, Ottawa • 加拿大（世界第二大国家，覆盖除阿拉斯加以外的整个北美洲北半部，1991年人口26,832,400，官方语言英语和法语，首都渥太华） 2. Eastern Canada was colonized by the French in the 17th century, with the British emerging as the ruling colonial power in 1763 after the Seven Years War. Canada became a federation of provinces with dominion status in 1867, and the final step in attaining legal independence from the UK was taken with the signing of the Constitution Act of 1982; Canada remains a member of the Commonwealth. French-speakers are largely concentrated in Quebec, the focal point for the French-Canadian separatist movement