The Canadian Global Almanac 1995

Jeff Moon is Head of the Maps, Data, & Government Information Centre (MADGIC), at Queen's University

As in past years, this latest edition of the Almanac presents a broad
spectrum of facts, figures, and trivia to meet a wide range of
interests. Information sources include Statistics Canada and other
government departments, various associations and foundations, almanacs,
and news agencies. Added to its regular social, economic, geographic,
political, cultural, and statistical fare is a new section on elections
in Canada, which includes the 1993 federal-election results. Also,
figures on the economy and government spending, which were scattered
throughout the book in previous editions, are drawn together into one
section; this is a welcome move, given the ongoing fiscal focus of the
Canadian political scene. Full-color maps have been added for all
countries of the world, but at a level of detail useful for only the
most general of inquiries. One map incorrectly depicts an intact
Yugoslavia.

The book’s text and tables are well laid out and very readable;
however, more cross-referencing in the index would benefit users.

Once again, this reference book has proven to have few competitors in
the numbers game. The Canada Yearbook also has numbers, but its aim for
coffee-table-book status has been at the expense of information content.
As a result, The Canadian Global Almanac is the “ready-reference”
tool to use.