Canada - A nation strong and free from coast to coast and sea to sea

Canada has been a land of choice and opportunity for thousands of immigrants and citizens who chose to call it home for hundreds of years.
Before the advent of Europeans, Canada was occupied by Native people who were Aboriginals. The Europeans thinking they had reached the East Indies called the Natives Indians. With the coming of Europeans the life of the Aboriginals was changed forever.From being hunters, gatherers and farmers they now became traders, Christians and fighters since the Europeans introduced new way of life and religion to them. Several Natives also died of European diseases that were new to them. The common economic, religious and military bond between the two groups that lasted for hundreds of years laid the foundation of our present Canada.
The term First nations as we call them, began to be used in 1970s while referring to all Native Indians who are Aboriginal but are not Metis or Inuit. The mostly live on reserves in 600 communities while many also live in urban areas. Inuit, meaning people in the Inuktitut language, are the natives living in the arctic areas and are also called Eskimos. These were natives who arrived last and most of the good land was taken up so they settled far north. They have a separate identity and culture than other natives. They are adept at sea and surviving in harsh climates. The Metis are the distinct mixed people of Aboriginals and Europeans ancestry. Most of them live in the Prairies, an area in Western part of Canada, although the first Metis were born in Eastern Canada to European fishermen and their Native wives. With French fur traders moving west, they married native people and their off springs were called Western Metis. They played a vital role in fur trading due to their language skills and ability to adapt to both French and Native cultures.About 65% of all Aboriginal people are First Nation while 30 % are Metis and 4% Inuit.