In some ways, Canada is a small country

When it comes to land mass, Canada is slightly larger than the US — 3.9 million square miles in Canada vs 3.8 million for the US.

But when it comes to people and economic activity, the is US much larger. Consider this:

  • The US population is about 10 times that of Canada’s.
  • The GDP of the US is more than 10 times that of Canada’s
  • California’s population is greater than the population of all of Canada.
  • California’s economy is larger than Canada’s.

I Love Charts puts Canada’s population in relation to the US in perspective. You can put 10 Canada’s into one US. Nice!

Similar Posts

  • Consumers Go On Strike

    As the economy continues to sour, consumers have gone on strike. For the past few months, I have been contemplating the following economic and social trends that seem to explain why.

    • American productivity has risen almost 20% in the last decade (Source)
    • Real median income over the same period has declined (Source)
    • Executive compensation has risen astronomically (Source)
    • Consumer debt has risen substantially (Source)
    • Consumer spending comprises 70% of GDP

    Rising productivity is what enables companies to increase employee’s pay. Increases in pay result in the overall rise in our standard of living. However, in the last decade, this relationship between productivity and rising employee pay seems to have been fractured.

  • Change

    If you want to defeat any kind of vicious fraud–comply with it literally, adding nothing of your own to disguise its nature.

    — Ayn Rand, Spoken by Francisco d’Aconia to Hank Rearden in Atlas Shrugged

    I have been a leader in a number of organizations that were in dire need of change. Building a “case for change” is usually difficult. People seem compelled to continue in their dysfunctional ways despite their inefficacy or discomfort. I have learned that sometimes you have to let things fall to the floor and break before you can pick up the shards and create the change that the organization so desperately needs.

    Atlas Shrugged struck me as a testament to this approach to change management, albeit with a more poetic and metaphorical approach.

  • Occupy Wall Street’s Beef: Wall Street is Cheating

    These people aren’t protesting money. They’re not protesting banking. They’re protesting corruption on Wall Street.

    Matt Taibbi finally articulated what I have been trying to find words for. I don’t begrudge Wall Street, or anyone, their good fortune (I seek the same good fortune). I just begrudge the way a few people have rigged the system in their favor.

  • Canada Relations

    Geography has made us neighbors, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies.

    — President Robert F. Kennedy on US / Canada relations.

    The US President’s first foreign trip is highly symbolic. Yesterday President Obama reinforced a long standing tradition and made Canada the destination for his first foreign trip. President Bush’s first foreign trip was to Mexico. US / Canada relations were strained throughout his entire term. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford never visited Canada at all.

    Granted, this trip was more than a pit stop than an extended visit. He arrived in the morning to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, ate through a working lunch, held a joint news conference, met briefly at the airport with the leader of Canada’s opposition party, and was back home in the White House in time for dinner.

    Even though he only had time to pop in for a quick chat, I am glad that my native country is back at the top of the list for our new US President.

  • Life’s Mission

    Here is a test to find out whether your mission on earth is finished; if you’re alive, it isn’t.

    — Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

    I came to Richard Bach via Neil Diamond’s soundtrack to Jonathan Livingston Seagull. While the metaphors in Jonathan Livingston Seagull are rather obvious now, the wisdom and insights from Illusions remain much more subtle and lasting.

    Richard Bach was quite popular in the late 70’s and 80’s. Amazon calls him the Kahil Gibran of the Me! generation. I was in my twenties at the time and, like most people in that decade of their life, I had an overwhelming sense of calling. I had a deep sense that I was placed on this earth to complete a mission, to help people see themselves, and the world, in a fresh way.

    Much has transpired since those heady days of youth. I think I have helped many people along the way, albeit never in the grand style I envisioned in my twenties. Nevertheless, on a quite day, I can still hear that voice calling inside. Since I am very much alive again today, it is good to know that my mission is not yet complete.

  • Contentment

    There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.

    — G. K Chesterton

    When Linda and I returned from our stint in London, we landed in New Jersey. Within a few weeks of our US re-entry, and for reasons that still escape us, we bought a beautiful, 2,400 square foot house with a large basement on the north side of Princeton. Despite the delightful, well-groomed neighborhood, we quickly began to discover the folly of our ways. The sweeping windows that let in so much light in the spring became a greenhouse in the heat of summer. It seemed cavernous to heat and cool. Finding enough furniture to fill all the rooms took the better part of a year. …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.