• Canada

Canada is the world's second-largest country (after Russia) and comprises all the North American continent north of the United States, with the exclusion of Alaska, Greenland, and the tiny French islands of St. Pierre. It has a total area of 9,970,610 sq km, of which 755,180 sq km is covered by bodies of freshwater such as rivers and lakes, including those portions of the Great Lakes under Canadian jurisdiction.

Canada has a total population (1991) of 28 million, but about 80% of this number live within 160 km of the U.S. border on the south. As approximately 89% of the country is virtually unsettled, Canada has one of the lowest population densities in the world. The great majority of Canadians are of European descent, born in Canada.

Politically, Canada is a self-governing federal union of ten provinces and two territories, within the British Commonwealth. The country contains great reserves of natural resources, notably timber, petroleum, natural gas, metallic minerals, and fish. It is also an important manufacturing country, and its major cities, such as Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Ottawa (the country's capital) are bustling centres of commerce and industry.

 • Quebec

Quebec is the largest of the Canadian provinces. Its vast area of 1,540,680 sq km accounts for 15.5% of Canada's total area and includes 183,890 sq km of inland freshwater surface.

Quebec became part of the Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, as one of the four original provinces. The great majority of Quebec's inhabitants today use French as their first language. The name of the province is derived from an Algonquian term for 'place where the river narrows', referring to the St Lawrence River near the site of present-day Quebec City, the provincial capital.

 • Montreal

Situated at the confluence of the St Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, Montreal (pop. 3,359,000) is Canada's most populous city. Most of Montreal's citizens speak French as their first language.

Montreal is a major commercial, manufacturing, transport, and financial centre, with a diversified economy dominated by the service sector. The city is the site of many corporate headquarters and research-and-development institutions, as well as the Montreal Stock Exchange. An important part of the city's economic base is tourism. Montreal hosted the Olympic Games in 1976.

Montreal is known as one of the world's leading gastronomic centres. There are more than 4,000 restaurants serving the national cuisine from some 80 countries. The settings range from sidewalk cafés to bistros, from intimate restaurants hidden away on streets to the large dining rooms of downtown hotels.

Montreal is considered to be one of the least expensive shopping centres in the world, with everything the discerning shopper could possibly want, from delightful boutiques to major department stores.

• For a great deal of information about Montreal and the surrounding area click here.

 • Venue

Fairmont Queen Elizabeth

The 2002 World Championships will take place in Montreal, Canada, August 16-31. The event will be held at two of Montreal's finest hotels, the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth and the Montreal Bonaventure Hilton.

Most World Championship events will be at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, although some sections will be placed in the Bonaventure Hilton depending on numbers. The Bonaventure Hilton will host the Can-Am Regional events which will be played concurrently with the World Championships, ending on September 2..

 • Hotels and Reservations

The following hotels are suitable for the Championships participants. Rates are quoted in Canadian dollars and in (US dollars).

† triple room / ‡ quad room

Hotel reservations must be made through:

Please note:

• the number of rooms at the venue hotels is limited; participants are advised to book early if they wish to stay in either of the venue hotels.

• prices are shown in US$ at the current rate of exchange (C$1.55 to US$1) and are per room, per night, based on two people sharing. The actual hotel charges may therefore vary depending on the rate of exchange in effect at the time, since they will be payable in Canadian Dollars. All rates are subject to 7% Canadian tax, 7.5% Quebec tax and a $2 per room per night hotel tax. (At the present time the 7% rate is refundable to non-Canadian visitors.)

AIR CANADA is the official carrier for the Championships, and a limited number of seats are available for flights outside North America at between 15% and 20% discount (please quote Convention N° CV 664436).