Beginning of Essay
Canada, independent nation in North America. A country rich in minerals and agriculture, it was settled by the French and English and became an independent Commonwealth country with a federal system of government, in which the provinces enjoy a large measure of au ....

Middle of Essay
.... site of once great mountain chains worn down and covered by the sea, contains valuable minerals--gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, and zinc--making Canada one of the most important mining countries in the world. The Shield's N portion is a treeless plain with permanently frozen subsoil; in its S section are forests. Extending from the Shield's W border to the Canadian Rockies are prairies more than 800mi (1,288km) wide that yield wheat, the dominant crop, and are centers of livestock raising. W Canada is a land of mountains with fishing, agriculture, and lumbering as important industries. With the development of major oil an ....