Canada

The best friend of the United States, along with the UK and Australia. Its people are generally much more calm, rational and reasonable than their counterparts to the south. Its soldiers fought bravely and in countless cases died with honor side by side with British and American troops in the trenches of the Great War, on the beaches of Normandy, and in the mountains of Korea. Has a history and culture similar to our own, but generally less obsessed with violence and killing. Tends to be more liberal politically, never having had slavery or segragation, and less puritanical when dealing with alcohol and marijuana. Has a large French-speaking population, which, to their credit, has not yet surrendered to Germany in any war. As a nation, tends to be fairly honest and trustworthy, as evidenced by its stable currency and respectable diplomatic standing in the world. To the best of my knowledge, no Canadian citizens or interests have ever been explicitly targeted by international terrorists, and no Canadian army has ever invaded another country unprovoked. Because of their usually sunny disposition, especially when compared with citizens of the US, Canadians are often seen as naive, gullible and/or not very pugnacious. Any student of history will find ample evidence to refute this stereotype. Capital: Ottawa Pop.: 33.1 million (2006) Independence: July 1st, 1867 and December 11th, 1931 (there is a logical explanation for this) GDP: $1.08 trillion (11th largest in the world) Flag: Three vertical bands (red, white, red) with maple leaf centered in white band. Not very offensive, rarely burned by Muslims.