Ontario
Ontario ( on-TAIR-ee-oh; French: [ɔ̃taʁjo]) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.[9][10] Located in Central Canada, it is Canada's most populous province, with 38.3 percent of the country's population, and is the second-largest province by total area (after Quebec).[11][12] Ontario is Canada's fourth-largest jurisdiction in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included.[3] It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto,[13] which is Ontario's provincial capital.
Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north, and Quebec to the east and northeast, and to the south by the U.S. states of (from west to east) Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Almost all of Ontario's 2,700 km (1,678 mi) border with the United States follows inland waterways: from the westerly Lake of the Woods, eastward along the major rivers and lakes of the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence River drainage system. There is only about 1 km (0.6 mi) of actual land border, made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border.[14]
The great majority of Ontario's population and arable land is in Southern Ontario, and while agriculture remains a significant industry, the region's economy depends highly on manufacturing. In contrast, Northern Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and heavy forestation,[15] with mining and forestry making up the region's major industries.
Ontario is a term thought to be derived from Indigenous origins, either Ontarí:io, a Huron (Wyandot) word meaning "great lake",[16] or possibly skanadario, which means "beautiful water" or "sparkling water" in the Iroquoian languages.[17] Ontario has about 250,000 freshwater lakes.[18] The first mention of the name Ontario was in 1641, when "Ontario" was used to describe the land on the north shore of the easternmost part of the Great Lakes.[19] It was adopted as the official name of the new province at Confederation in 1867.[19]
The thinly populated Canadian Shield, which dominates the northwestern and central portions of the province, comprises over half the land area of Ontario. Although this area mostly does not support agriculture, it is rich in minerals, partly covered by the Central and Midwestern Canadian Shield forests, and studded with lakes and rivers. Northern Ontario is subdivided into two sub-regions: Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario.
The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the extreme north and northeast are mainly swampy and sparsely forested.
Typical landscape of the Canadian Shield at Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park, located in Central Ontario.
Köppen climate types of Ontario
Cold northwesterly wind over the Great Lakes creating lake-effect snow. Lake-effect snow most frequently occurs in the snowbelt regions of the province.
A 1755 map of the
Pays d'en Haut region of New France, an area that included most of Ontario
A monument in Hamilton commemorating the United Empire Loyalists, a group of settlers who fled the United States during or after the American Revolution
Map of Upper Canada, 1811
Depiction of the Battle of Queenston Heights, during the War of 1812. Upper Canada was an active theatre of operation during the conflict.
Map of Canada West from 1855. Canada West formed the western portion of the Province of Canada.
An animated map of the changes to the borders of Canada. The borders of Ontario were last changed in 1912.
Oliver Mowat, Premier of Ontario from 1872 to 1896
Law enforcement confiscate stores of alcohol in Elk Lake in an effort to enforce prohibition. The prohibition measures were introduced in 1916 and were not repealed until 1927.
Population density of Ontario
English and French displayed on a gantry sign. Communities with sizeable francophone populations are able to receive provincial services in French.
Container ship at Algoma Steel. The Great Lakes provide ocean access for industries in the province's interior.
A worker at the Oakville Assembly installs a battery in an automobile. The automotive industry is a contributor to the economy of Ontario.
Toronto's Financial District serves as the centre for Canada's financial services.
Aerial view of farms in Waterloo. A significant portion of the land in Southern Ontario is used as farmland.
Grapevines growing in Prince Edward County, a wine-growing region
A sign marking the Ottawa Greenbelt, an initiative to protect farmland and limit urban sprawl
The Pickering Nuclear Generating Station is one of three nuclear power stations in Ontario.
The Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations are hydroelectric plants located in Niagara Falls.
Osgoode Hall houses the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the appellate court for the province.
The Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park. The building serves as the meeting place for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Map of the counties, regional municipalities, districts, and municipalities of Ontario.
An Ontario licence plate with the slogan
Yours to Discover at the bottom of the plate
Thunder Bay International Airport is one of five international airports operating in Ontario.
A Via Rail train approaching Belleville station
Ontario Northland freight train crossing the Missinaibi River at Mattice-Val Côté in Northern Ontario
Highway 400 in Seguin. The roadway forms a part of the province's 400-series highways.
on-TAIR-ee-oh; French: [ɔ̃taʁjo]) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.[9][10] Located in Central Canada, it is Canada's most populous province, with 38.3 percent of the country's population, and is the second-largest province by total area (after Quebec).[11][12] Ontario is Canada's fourth-largest jurisdiction in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included.[3] It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto,[13] which is Ontario's provincial capital.