Geography of Ontario - It's a Big Place

Even people who live in Ontario can have trouble appreciating the sheer size of this province. Ontario is Canada's second largest province, covering more than one million square kilometres (415,000 square miles) - an area larger than France and Spain combined. If you look at a map of Ontario you will notice that the province is bounded by Quebec on the east, Manitoba on the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay on the north, and the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes on the south.

The longest east-west distance in Ontario is 1,690 kilometres (1050 miles). The longest north-south distance is 1,730 kilometres (1075 miles). The highest point is 693 metres (785 yards) above sea level, in the Timiskaming area.

Manitoulin Island in Georgian Bay is the world's largest freshwater island covering 2,766 square kilometres (1,068 square miles).

Sault Ste. Marie is the Ontario city located closest to the halfway point of the Trans-Canada Highway that runs from Victoria, British Columbia to St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Ontario is home to more than one time zone. The boundary line between the Central Time Zone and Eastern Time Zone is just west of Thunder Bay running north from the United States border to Hudson Bay.

Ontario's most northerly communities are close to the same latitude as London, England and Warsaw, Poland. Ontario's southernmost point of land is Middle Island, in Lake Erie south of Point Pelee, roughly parallel to Barcelona, Spain or Rome, Italy.

More than 13 million people live in Ontario.