Covering more than one-third of North America, Canada extends southward from the North Pole to the United States border and across six different time zones.

Canada has participated in every Olympic Winter Games, and is 7th on the all-time medal chart with 119 (38 gold, 39 silver and 42 bronze). Canada has never won a gold medal at a Games, Summer or Winter, that it has hosted; expect that to change in 2010.

Canada has improved its medal total every Olympics since 1984, and with athletes such as hockey star Sidney Crosby competing, that trend is expected to continue on home snow and ice in Vancouver. Get the full outlook for the host nation.