Final answer:
Canada is the second largest country in the world by land area, with the majority of its population living close to the US border, particularly in the southern province of Ontario.
Step-by-step explanation:
Canada is ranked second in terms of size among the countries in the world. Although it has a relatively small population, with just over 34 million people as of 2011, the country's total land area exceeds that of the United States. A significant characteristic of Canada's population distribution is that more than 90 percent of its inhabitants live within 150 miles of the US border. This concentration is notably in populous provinces like Ontario, referred to as South Canada, which alone houses about 39 percent of Canada's total population.
The vast yet sparsely populated country has regions such as the wide-open areas of the far north that contain only a tiny fraction (one-third of one percent) of the total population. Comparatively, countries like Sweden and Norway are large in area but also not densely populated. The physical geography and population distribution of Canada greatly affect its economics, culture, and politics.