Final answer:
Canada is the country with the described geographic features and historical ties to both French and British colonialism. It has significant physical features and a mixed cultural history due to its colonial past.
Step-by-step explanation:
The country with James Bay, a large southern indentation in Hudson Bay, and Queen Charlotte Sound to the north of Vancouver Island, with Cabot Strait separating Cape Breton Island from Newfoundland, and connecting the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the Atlantic Ocean, with the Davis Strait separating Canada from Greenland, and the Strait of Georgia separating Vancouver Island from British Columbia is Canada. This country is rich in geographic features, including the rugged Canadian Shield, the St. Lawrence River valley, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Rocky Mountains. The country's history is marked by its colonial past under both French and British control, which has influenced the linguistic and cultural landscape, particularly in regions like French Canada and the Canadian Maritimes.
Canada's history of colonization includes being the first area of European settlement by the French, who named the territory New France. They were primarily involved in the fur trade and established alliances with local groups. Later, the British took control of Canada and left a lasting influence, evident in the names of several provinces and the parliamentary democracy system of government. The British North America Act of 1867 further consolidated the colonies into the Dominion of Canada within the British Empire.