The name "Ontario" comes from a native word, possibly "Onitariio" or "Kanadario", loosely translated as "beautiful" or "sparkling" water or lake.

Overview

Welcome to Ontario, the province that one in three Canadians call home.

Ontario is a magnet for industry, the arts and science. The population is made up of many cultural backgrounds drawn to this vibrant province.

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.

There are over 250,000 lakes in Ontario -- they make up 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 to below -13¡C (9¡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 Caribana (West Indian) and Oktoberfest (German).

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.

Geography

1. The largest rock formation in Canada is the Canadian Shield. The scars from the advance and retreat of glaciers are evident on the rocks of the Canadian Shield


2. The Canadian Shield covers about two-thirds of Ontario


3. The Ishpatina Ridge is the highest point in Ontario at 693 metres


4. There are actually 1,864 islands in the Thousand Islands


5. The Ontario-U.S. border is almost entirely defined by water. To the east of Thunder Bay, the border runs along the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway, and to the west it follows a series of lakes and rivers


6. 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

Fun and Interesting Facts

1. The round opening in the west tower of the Ontario Legislative Building was made to house a large clock. However, the clock was never installed


2. In celebration of the Ontario Legislative Building's 100th anniversary in 1993, a time capsule was placed under one of the copper objects located on the centre roof of the building. The capsule will not be opened until 2093


3. Traditionally, important buildings have the date of construction carved into a cornerstone. However, there are no records of the Ontario Legislative Building having a commemorative cornerstone or a cornerstone laying ceremony


4. A fire destroyed the west wing of the Ontario Legislative Building in 1909. When it was rebuilt, sandstone was brought in from Sackville, New Brunswick to make new bricks. As the original sandstone was from Orangeville and the Credit Valley, the east and west wings of the building are of two different shades


5. Highway 3 in southwestern Ontario was first known as the Talbot Trail. It was named after Colonel Thomas Talbot who was responsible for the first settlement in the area


6. Babe Ruth, a baseball hero, hit his first professional home run in Toronto on September 5, 1914


7. The astronauts of the Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 moon missions had geology field trips to the Sudbury area as part of their training in 1971 and 1972 respectively


8. 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.