On Wednesday, the country released for the first time a snapshot of itself as seen from above, a mosaic of 276 images taken by a Canadian satellite and pieced together by Canadian hands.

Sure, the images -- which show every bit of the country with 50-meter resolution -- will be of great help to environmentalists, scientists, urban planners, and teachers.

But to Canadians, this is also a matter of pride.

"The general public can be proud of the country and technology," said Stephane Corbin, a spokesman for the Canadian Space Agency. "Canada is the second largest country in the world, and we are for the first time able to have a snapshot of the whole country without any political boundaries."

The images were taken over the course of a week by Canada's first Earth-observation satellite, Radarsat-1. Radarsat International, based in British Columbia, also provides similar images for parts of Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East.

The CSA has already printed up 8,000 posters of the Canada mosaic, and set up a hotline where anyone can call for a free copy.

"If that's not enough, we'll print more," said Corbin.

A CD will also be available, though for a fee. With a click, users will be able to zoom in on individual towns. A higher-priced version will show individual buildings.

Clearly visible from the mosaic version are the Hudson Bay, the massive body of water in the Northeast, and the winter ice of the West.