Ontario

Ontario is one of the provinces of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province or territory and fourth largest in total area. It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto. 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. Ontario is the second most diverse province in terms of visible minorities after British Columbia, with 22.8% of the population consisting of visible minorities.

Ontario’s economy thrives through its unique combination of resources, manufacturing expertise, exports and a drive for innovation. Ontario is Canada's leading manufacturing province, accounting for nearly half of the country’s total national manufacturing shipments. 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-third 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 and the Canadian Aboriginal 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.