Key facts

Ontario is a study in contrasts. 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.

Here are some key facts about Ontario:

  • Ontario’s more than 250,000 lakes contain about one-fifth of the world's fresh water
  • in summer, temperatures can soar above 30°C (86°F), while in winter they can drop below -40°C (-40°F)
  • Ontario's industries range from cultivating crops, to mining minerals, to manufacturing automobiles, to designing software and leading-edge technology
  • cultures from around the world thrive and are celebrated in Ontario with festivals such as Caribbean Carnival, Oktoberfest, Festival Franco-Ontarien, the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival and the Indigenous Arts Festival
  • travellers can enjoy the many experiences Ontario has to offer, from a wilderness expedition in the north, to a "shop till you drop into your theatre seat" city excursion
  • there are more than 40 treaties and other land agreements in Ontario that set out the rights and responsibilities of First Nations and the provincial and federal governments

Economy

Ontario’s economy thrives through its unique combination of resources, manufacturing expertise, exports and a drive for innovation. Ontario generates 37% of the national GDP and is home to almost 50% of all employees in high tech, financial services and other knowledge-intensive industries.

Learn more about Ontario’s highly diversified economy

Manufacturing

Ontario is part of the North American manufacturing heartland. Examples of Ontario's key manufacturing industries include autos, information and communications technologies, biotech, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Here are some key facts about Ontario’s manufacturing sector:

  • Ontario’s manufacturing sector is a key contributor to the economic success of the province and currently employs 830,000 people.
  • Ontario is the second largest vehicle producing jurisdiction in North America.
  • Ontario is the leading province in Canada in the cleantech sector in terms of employment, exports and GDP contribution.
  • Since 2020, the province has attracted nearly $50 billion in new manufacturing investments, with these projects expected to create more than 23,000 new jobs in the coming years.

Agriculture

Ontario has more than half of the highest quality (“Class 1”) farm land in Canada. There are 48,346 farms in Ontario (Census of Agriculture, 2021) and they make up almost one-quarter of all farm revenue in Canada.

Ontario’s agricultural production includes:

  • fruit crops, such as grapes, apples, berries and other tender fruits
  • vegetables
  • cash crops, such as soybeans, corn, mixed grains, forage crops, wheat and barley
  • commercial poultry, hog, dairy and beef cattle farms
  • flowers and other ornamental plants

Find more information about agriculture in Ontario.

Forestry

Ontario’s forests play a major role in the province’s economy. They contribute to a good standard of living by providing more than 137,000 jobs in 2023 and thousands more indirect jobs across Ontario communities.

The forest industry provided $5.5 billion to Ontario’s overall GDP in 2022, with total revenues of $22.8 billion. Ontario’s forest and wood products sector is unique in terms of having a large secondary and value-added sector and high level of integration and dependency between mills.

Learn more about Ontario’s forestry sector.

Mining

The mining industry in Ontario is a global leader in productivity and has world leading environmental standards. Here are some key facts about mining in Ontario:

  • Ontario’s mining sector is a significant economic driver, with mining and associated processing and mining supply and services industries contributing over $14 billion to Ontario’s GDP annually and supporting over 70,000 direct and associated good-paying jobs.
  • Ontario is rich in minerals such as nickel, graphite, copper, cobalt and lithium which are key components in the manufacturing of electric vehicles, renewable energy solutions and other advanced technologies.
  • Ontario is actively developing a robust, end-to-end critical minerals supply chain, driven by its Critical Minerals Strategy.
  • Ontario is among the top producers in the world for of nickel and platinum group metals.
  • Ontario’s abundant supply of critical minerals includes the vast resources found in the Ring of Fire, an area currently roughly 8,000 square kilometres in size located approximately 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.
  • There are currently 25 active mining operations in Ontario, the majority of which are in Northern Ontario.

Find the latest minerals sector facts and figures.

Services industry

Although Ontario is a manufacturing powerhouse, the services sector is the largest part of Ontario's economy. It employs millions of people and makes up over 75% of the province’s economy. Examples of Ontario's major services sector include business and financial services, professional and scientific technical services, and arts and culture.

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 Indigenous peoples lived on the land. The word “Ontario” comes from the Iroquois word “kanadario,” meaning “sparkling” water.

Beginning in the 1600s, European settlers arrived in Canada and began to work the land. After the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), Britain claimed control over most of the land France had previously claimed.

After the American Revolution (1775-1783), many American colonists who were loyal to Britain moved to what is now Ontario. They were known as United Empire Loyalists. Many Iroquois also moved north from northern New York State.

In 1791, the British enacted the Canada Act, which split what was then the province of Quebec into two parts. The area upstream of the St. Lawrence River became Upper Canada (now Ontario) and the part downstream became Lower Canada (now Quebec).

Upper Canada’s first capital was Newark, which is now Niagara-on-the-Lake. In 1793, the capital was moved to York (now Toronto) to protect it from American attacks. Upper Canada’s first Lieutenant Governor was General John Graves Simcoe.

Throughout the nineteenth century, many immigrant groups moved to Upper Canada, including Germans, Irish and Scots of various religious denominations. By 1830, the population of Canada was about 235,000. Toronto became the first city in the province in 1834.

In 1867, Ontario and Quebec became provinces under Confederation. They joined Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form a federal union called the Dominion of Canada. This was declared in the British North America Act. The new country’s capital was the small town of Ottawa and the first prime minister was Sir John A. Macdonald.

Geography

Ontario is Canada's second largest province, covering more than 1 million square kilometres (415,000 square miles) - an area larger than France and Spain combined. Ontario is bounded by Quebec to the east, Manitoba to the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north and the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes to the south.

Here are some key facts about Ontario’s geography:

  • the longest east-west distance in Ontario is 1,568 kilometres (974 miles). The longest north-south distance is 1,691 kilometres (1,050 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)
  • Ontario is home to 2 time zones: 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

Natural resources

Ontario’s varied landscape offers an abundance of natural resources. Learn more about these resources below:

Water and lakes

Ontario's many lakes, rivers and streams played a central role in the province's history and development. The lakes and rivers were a means of transportation and a source of food for the First Nations and Métis peoples, as well as early European settlers. Waterways determined the patterns of settlement as well as the patterns of industrialization.

Key facts about water in Ontario:

  • the Great Lakes include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario - combined, these lakes hold one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water
  • the combined shoreline of the Great Lakes is equal to about 45% of the earth's circumference
  • the 5 Great Lakes are the world's biggest continuous body of fresh water
  • the Great Lakes Basin covers an area of 750,000 square kilometres this basin includes 8 US states, most of Southern Ontario and extends into Northern Ontario

Find key facts and figures about water in Ontario from:

Forests

Ontario is home to vast and diverse forests —covering 70 million hectares, or 66% of the province. There are three major forest regions, this includes the deciduous forest of Southern Ontario, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence forest of central Ontario and both Boreal forest and Hudson Bay Lowlands forest in Northern Ontario. A very small region of Southern Ontario also includes Carolinian forest, which is home to the Kentucky coffee and sassafras trees — species that cannot be found anywhere else in Canada.

Harvested wood is used to make building materials, pulp and paper and a wide range of other value-added products, such as furniture and flooring.

Learn more about forest management.

Fish and wildlife

Ontario’s varied climate and geography support habitat for many species of plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Common fish in Ontario include yellow perch, bluegill, northern pike and walleye. The mammals that call Ontario home include beavers, black bears, muskrats, gray wolves, white-tailed deer and walrus. Familiar birds include blue jays, northern cardinals, great blue herons, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls and pileated woodpeckers. Look carefully and you might see some reptiles and amphibians, including eastern garter snakes, northern leopard frogs, eastern massasauga rattlesnakes, midland painted turtles or one of 11 types of salamanders and newts.

Provincial parks and protected areas

Algonquin Provincial Park, established in 1893, was Ontario’s first provincial park. Since then, Ontario's provincial parks have stood for protection of the natural environment and enjoyment of the great outdoors. Today, Ontario's vast system of parks and protected areas totals over 9 million hectares, and includes areas of magnificent old-growth forest, woodland caribou ranges, wilderness rivers, wetlands and habitat for rare and endangered plants and animals.

Our parks attract more than 20 million visitors each year and provide places for outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, swimming, canoeing, nature viewing and fishing. Parks are also important for scientific research, environmental monitoring and outdoor education. Most importantly, Ontario's provincial parks will protect and conserve our rich natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of future generations.

Learn more about Ontario's parks

Minerals and mining

Since Ontario’s first gold rush in 1866 near the town of Madoc, Ontario has been Canada’s leading metals producer. It produces more than 25 different metal and non-metal mineral products. In 2023, Ontario produced 59% of Canada’s nickel, 43% of its gold, 43% of the country’s copper and 81% of its platinum group metals.

Ontario stone was used to build the Ontario legislature, the federal parliament buildings in Ottawa and the Canadian Embassy Washington, DC.

The ancient rocks of the Canadian Shield cover two-thirds of Ontario and host many mineral deposits. Younger sedimentary rocks also contain valuable minerals and unconsolidated glacial deposits are another important source of mineral riches.

Amethyst, a variety of 6-sided purple quartz crystal, was adopted as Ontario's official gemstone in 1975. Amethyst, while occurring worldwide, is in rich supply along Lake Superior's north shore near Thunder Bay. It is also found in the Bancroft and North Bay areas.

Energy

Ontario is an important Canadian petroleum refining region, ranking second behind Alberta in refinery capacity in 2023. Ontario’s petroleum infrastructure is built around four fuel refineries. Three located in Sarnia-Lambton and one in Nanticoke, which collectively process up to 393,000 barrels of crude oil per day or about 20% of Canada’s total refining capacity. In 2023, imports, both foreign and transfers from other regions, accounted for about 22% of petroleum product demand.

With the exception of transportation, natural gas is the major fuel used by all sectors of the economy, including residential, commercial and industrial heating. In 2023, it provided almost 36% of Ontario's energy. Petroleum accounted for about 37%, and electricity for almost 21%.

Ontario’s diverse electricity system is made up of nuclear, hydroelectric, natural gas, wind, solar, bioenergy and storage resources. Together, these resources have a combined capacity of more than 37,000 megawatts (MW).

Ontario’s 3 nuclear power plants have an installed capacity of over 12,000 MW. Ontario’s 76 grid connected hydroelectric generating stations have an installed capacity of almost 9,000 MW.

Ontario has more than 42 grid connected wind farms with an installed capacity of 5,000 MW, making Ontario one of the leaders in wind power in Canada.

Ontario is also leading Canada with the largest investments in grid-scale batteries. With 250 MW currently in service, Ontario has procured enough batteries to provide almost 3,000 MW of capacity by 2028.

People and culture

With a population of more than 16.1 million, Ontario is home to about 2 in 5 Canadians. More than 85% live in urban centres, largely in cities on the shores of the Great Lakes.

The largest concentration of people and cities is in the Greater Golden Horseshoe along the western shore of Lake Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls.

The Greater Golden Horseshoe describes the extended metropolitan area, including parts of central Ontario surrounding the core region. With more than 9 million people, this area is one of the fastest growing areas in North America. The wider region spreads inland in all directions away from the Lake Ontario shoreline, southwest to Brantford, west to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, north to Barrie and northeast to Peterborough.

Population hubs in southwestern Ontario include London, Kincardine and Windsor and Sarnia. In eastern Ontario, Ottawa and Kingston are the predominant cities. In northern Ontario, key municipalities include Greater Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, Timmins and Kenora.

Indigenous peoples

Ontario has the largest Indigenous population in Canada. Indigenous peoples make up about 2.8% of Ontario’s population and about one-fifth of all Indigenous people in Canada.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples have their own distinct identities, histories, languages, cultures and worldviews. They live in urban centres, rural areas and remote communities in Ontario. There are 133 First Nations communities located in Ontario, representing at least seven major cultural and linguistic groups. A reserve (community) is land set aside by the federal government for a First Nation group as part of the treaty making process with First Nations peoples. Learn more by visiting the Map of Ontario Treaties and Reserves.

Inuit traditionally inhabit the North American Arctic, but many are relocating for opportunities in education, work and lifestyle. There is a small but growing community of Inuit in Ontario, primarily in the Ottawa area.

Métis people live in urban and rural areas, and there are seven historic Métis communities in Ontario.

Languages

English is Ontario's official language, though there are several French-speaking communities across the province. French language rights have been extended to the province’s legal and educational systems. Government services are provided in English and French in many designated regions across the province where approximately 80% of the province’s Francophone population resides. Ontario is home to more than 652,000 Francophones, Canada’s largest Francophone community outside of Québec.

Ontario's population growth has depended on immigration ever since the American Revolution sent Loyalists north to Canada. Even today, 40% of the approximately 250,000 people who immigrate to Canada each year choose to settle in Ontario. Toronto has been called the most multicultural city in the world, where more than 100 languages and dialects are spoken.

Languages other than English and French often spoken at home in Ontario include Chinese, Italian, German, Polish, Spanish, Punjabi, Ukrainian, Portuguese and more than 30 Indigenous languages. Including Anishinaabe, Anisininew, Mohawk, Cayuga and Oneida. Inuktitut, and its many dialects, are spoken by Inuit in Ontario and Michif is the language of the Métis.

Demographics, education and labour

The median age for Ontarians is about 40 years. There are about 5 million households in Ontario and the life expectancy is about 79 years for men and 84 years for women.

The labour force aged 25 and over exceeds 6 million people and about 64% of Ontario residents between 25 and 64 have completed postsecondary schooling.

Learn about colleges, universities and Indigenous institutes.

Culture

Toronto has the largest variety of theatres and performing arts companies in Ontario, and the second largest in North America after New York. Dozens more fine theatres operate throughout the province. Seasonal festivals, like the Stratford Festival and the Shaw Festival, draw crowds from across Canada and the United States.

Ontario also has well-known art galleries and museums, like the Art Gallery of Ontario and Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg.

Ontario’s entertainment and creative industry is the third largest in North America by employment — ranking after California and New York. Within Canada, Ontario is the leading province for film and television production, book and magazine publishing and sound recording. The Toronto International Film Festival, one of the largest and most influential film festivals in the world, is an annual event.

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world’s largest Indigenous festival showcasing film, video, audio, digital and interactive media by Indigenous creators.

As well, Ontario is an internationally recognized hub for the interactive digital media industry producing various cutting-edge digital products and services.

Sightseeing

Most Ontario cities and towns have carefully preserved historic buildings. You can see accurately rebuilt forts and pioneer villages around the province, including Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg and Fort Wellington in Prescott.

Some towns, like Niagara-on-the-Lake and Elora, make a special effort to preserve the flavour of the past. Ottawa’s distinctive parliament building and Toronto’s impressive legislative building remind us of our history.

Touring Ontario is easy by highway, boat or rail. You can visit attractions throughout the province, from country fairs and museums to zoos, floral gardens, theme parks and special events, such as a First Nations pow wow which showcases dance, music, food and arts and crafts. Don’t forget to visit Niagara Falls, one of the world’s natural wonders.

Summer and winter, Ontario's beautiful natural settings are home to all kinds of activities. Summertime brings swimming, boating, baseball, hiking, camping, fishing and tennis. Popular winter activities in Ontario include skating, skiing, tobogganing, curling and hockey.

Other sights include Science North in Sudbury, parks and attractions across the Niagara region and the St. Lawrence corridor, Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton and the many provincial parks across the province.