Final answer:
Canada has a low population density, being the second largest country while having a smaller population that is heavily concentrated near the US border. The vast majority of the territory is sparsely populated or uninhabited. Compared to other large but sparsely populated countries, Canada still stands out for its low density.
Step-by-step explanation:
When it comes to global rankings for population density, Canada stands out for its vast land area combined with a relatively small population. As the second largest country in the world, Canada's population was over 34 million in 2011. The density of the population is extremely low because much of the country's territory is uninhabited or sparsely populated. The majority of Canadians, over 90 percent, live within 150 miles of the US border. This clustering is particularly noticeable in provinces like Ontario and Quebec, with Ontario often being referred to as South Canada due to its high population concentration in the southern part of the province.
Considering the fact that the United States, Canada’s neighbor to the south, has a population exceeding 325 million, the contrast in density is significant. The distribution shows that while the US has various densely populated regions, Canada's population is far less evenly distributed across its larger land area.
Comparing to other nations, countries like Norway, Sweden, and Finland also have large areas with low population densities. Canada, however, due to its sheer size, has one of the lowest population densities in the world. In this respect, Canada's population density ranking is quite low compared to more densely populated countries, as reflected in the global comparisons where populous nations like those in Figure A7 lead in terms of sheer numbers.