Population and Communities of Ontario

Ontario is located in south eastern Canada. 

The population in Ontario is 12,851,821.

Although Ontario is not the largest Canadian province geographically, it ranks first in terms of population, gross domestic product (GDP), manufacturing output, and agricultural production. Its capital, Toronto, is the most populous city in Canada and presides as the nation’s center of industry, high technology, and finance.

 

Types of communities within the physical regions of Ontario

• The Canadian Shield region

Farming communities:  Growing seasons are short and the crops usually don’t survive. The soil is also very boggy and farming areas are isolated, so farming is not a major industry in this region. But, the farming that does occur is centered on dairy farming. Vegetable and grain farming are also minor practices.

Mining communities:  Igneous rock in the Shield contains copper, gold, zinc, iron ore, nickel and uranium. There are at least 140 mining sites in the Shield, and the dug up minerals are transported to the Manufacturing Core. When a mine is closed, the town around it is useless, and it is closed as well.

 Forestry communities:  The Shield is covered by the world’s largest boreal forest. Waterways are used to transport the logs to where they are manufactured. Paper made here is shipped to the US to make newspaper. It is expensive to log the trees, replant them, and there is no capital to start new logging centers.

Nearly all of the region’s mineral wealth lies buried beneath a portion of the Canadian Shield, which stretches across most of southern and central Ontario. The Canadian Shield features a low, rocky landscape of level plateaus and rounded hills, highlighted by swift-running rivers and most of the province’s 250,000 lakes.

 

• Great Lakes Lowlands

There are numerous industries found in this region.  Some of these include manufacturing, construction, power generation, mining, agriculture, forestry, and fishing.  The Great Lakes themselves are often considered a resource of the region.

•  St. Lawrence Lowlands

St. Lawrence Lowlands account for the province’s enormous agricultural production.  Vast forests of spruce, pine, poplar, and birch spreading across nearly 70 percent of Ontario supply the raw materials for key pulp and timber industries.

Flag of Ontario

This is the flag of Ontario.  Each province in Canada has it's own flag.  
The Ontario Flag was introduced on May 21, 1965.  
The flag shows both the union jack and the provincial shield.

Major Natural Resources from Ontario

Ontario has several natural resources that produces.  

These include:

 Forest Industry

With Ontario's approximate 85 billion trees, 

it provided the province with a $14 billion income for the economy.

The trees are used to make products such as pulp, paper, lumber, and furniture.

Commercial Fishing

The Great Lakes in Ontario are home to over 150 species of fish.  

This area is maintained by the Ministry of Natural Resources, who manage finish in the area.  Fish that are caught from the Great Lakes are sold both in Ontario and in international markets around the world. The Commercial Fishing on the Great Lakes makes up 80% of the total fishing trade in Canada.

Oil and Gas Reservoirs

Ontario's crude oil and gas reservoirs continue to power the province.  

Approximately 50 new oil and gas wells are drilled each year across southern Ontario. 

These wells make up 1% of Ontario's domestic oil and natural gas consumption each year.

  

Renewable Energy

Across Ontario, there are energy sources being provided from wind turbines, solar panels, hydro, biomass and biogas.  These sites allow Ontario to reduce the threats of climate change.  

Physical Regions of Ontario

The province of Ontario has four major regions:
Canadian Shield 

Hudson Bay Lowland 

Great Lakes Lowland 

St. Lawrence Lowland 

• The Canadian Shield covers two-thirds of Ontario and is made of igneous and metamorphic rocks that form flat plateaus and low hills.   This region of Canada is found in the center of the country, surrounding Hudson Bay.  Geographers have named this region because of its shield shape.  This region makes up almost half of the land in Canada, but few people live here. 
  
  The region is made up of hills, highlands, plateaus, lowlands, plains, and numerous rivers and lakes.This region reaches up to the North, and spans the country from the Prairies to the Atlantic.  The large size of this region means that the climate will vary greatly inside the region.
  
  Industries in this region of the country include mining, forestry, and power production.  The main mineral mined on the Canadian Shield is Nickel.  Forestry is a large employer of people in this region.  Most of the power production in the region is hydroelectric, using the force of flowing water to create electricity.

 

• The Hudson Bay Lowland has flat sedimentary rocks.   This region lines the northernmost third of the province. A narrow strip of arctic tundra edges the frigid waters of Hudson Bay.

• The Great Lakes Lowland region of Canada consists mostly of Southern Ontario.  Geographers believe that this whole region was once covered by large sheets of ice called Glaciers.  These ice sheets carved and shaped the land as the moved and eventually melted.  The water that came from these melting glaciers formed the Great Lakes.  The land is covered with sand, dust, rocks and mud left behind by the ice.  All this material formed hills, and plains across the region.  Escarpments are also found in this region, the most important being named the Niagara Escarpment.
  
  Climate in this region can be described as having cold winters and hot summers.  This area is in the path of many storm systems that cross the continent, which means that day to day weather can be very different.

 

• The St. Lawrence Lowland is less than 91 miles high and is part of the sand and clay plains. Rich, loamy soils underlie the rolling hills and lush valleys of the St. Lawrence Lowland.
  
  
• The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands are located in the southern part of Ontario near the Great Lakes. It's also located in the southern part of Quebec right where the St.Lawrence River is. The St.Lawrence River contains over 2000 islands, rocky islets, and on the land there are small hills. The soil here is fertile and good for agriculture. Along the St. Lawrence River, trees are harvested for maple syrup.
  
  In the Lowlands, spring is short, summers are hot and humid, and winters are long., but milder. The winters can bring ice storms and blizzards are common. Autumn is nippy, but pleasant.

Tourism in Ontario

There are many places in Ontario that can be visited and explored. These include Museums, art galleries, adventure parks, as well as scenic natural wonders. 

The ROM

Art Gallery of Ontario

Wild Water Kingdom 

Canada’s Wonderland

NiagaraFalls

CN Tower 

Canadian Products from Ontario

Many places in Ontario make products that can be sold throughout Canada, as well as internationally.  These products are found in the small towns of Ontario.  A lot of other towns produce different types of meats, grains, eggs and vegetables.  Some of these towns include:

• Clarksburg (apples)
• Niagara (cherries and peaches)
• Simcoe (blueberries)
• Thamesville (blueberries and raspberries) 
• Napanee (strawberries)

The promotional program Foodland Ontario began in 1977 to promote Ontario's rich agricultural environment.  This encourages citizens and business owners to buy fresh, locally grown produce from Ontario itself.  

Fun Fact about Ontario

All of these celebrities were born or live in Ontario, Canada.

Margaret Atwood, prize-winning novelist

Wayne Gretzky, former hockey star

Ryan Gossling, actor

Jim Carrey, comedian and movie star

Justin Bieber, singer

The Group of Seven, famous Canadian artists