About Ontario
Geography
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.
Natural resources
The varied landscape includes the vast, rocky and mineral-rich Canadian Shield, which separates the fertile farmland in the south and the grassy lowlands of the north.
Did you know?
Ontario’s more than 250,000 lakes contain about one-third of the world’s fresh water.
Economy
Ontario’s economy thrives through its unique combination of resources, manufacturing expertise, exports and a drive for innovation.
People and culture
With a population of more than 13.5 million, Ontario is home to about one in four Canadians. More than 85 per cent live in urban centres, largely in cities on the shores of the Great Lakes.
History
People have lived in what is now Ontario for more than 12,000 years. Before the arrival of the European settlers, Algonquian- and Iroquoian-speaking Aboriginals had settled on the land.
