Canada is a country that occupies most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. A federation that comprises ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a parliamentary democracy, with a Prime Minister as its head of government; and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its sovereign. Each of the country's provinces and territories has a head of government, called the Premier by English speakers, to avoid confusion with the federal Prime Minister.