What makes ontario unique

Ontario is Canada's second largest province, covering more than 1 million square kilometres , square miles - an area larger than France and Spain combined. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes to the south. Learn more about these resources below:. Ontario's many lakes, rivers and streams played a central role in the province's history and development.

For Aboriginal peoples and the early European settlers, the lakes and rivers were a means of transportation and a source for food. Waterways determined the patterns of settlement as well as the patterns of industrialization.

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. But there is more than one kind of forest in Ontario. These include the deciduous forest of southern Ontario and the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Forest of central Ontario. Ontario's varied climate and geography support habitat for more than 3, species of plants, species of fish, 50 species of amphibians and reptiles, species of birds, and more than 81 species of mammals.

In Ontario's southernmost regions, you will find prickly pear cactus and sassafras trees, while polar bears roam our northern tundra. 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. 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 about 10 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. It produces more than 25 different metal and non-metal mineral products. 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 It draws over 3 million visitors each year.

Like the Blue Mountains, Collingwood, Batawa to name a few. This is due to its abundance of natural resources, economic stability, and high quality of life that Ontario is known to have the highest standards of living in the world. It is also home to some of the largest corporations in Canada, with top Fortune companies. So you see, there is a lot to know about Ontario. We hope you found this article on Ontario facts interesting and informative. We encourage you to read more of our blog posts for Canada travel inspiration and check out other topics that might interest you!

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Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If jewelry is more your thing, you might want to buy a long-lasting souvenir to remember your time in the province. Amethyst, the popular, rich purple, semi-precious stone found in many rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets is the official gem of Ontario.

No visit to Ontario is complete without spending time in its capital, Toronto. Also the largest city in the province, Toronto has over 2. It is believed more than different languages are spoken in Toronto and, in fact, according to the Census, 44 percent of residents speak a first language that is neither English nor French. Apart from boasting such a mixed bag of cultures, Toronto is also the place to find a wide variety of restaurants — more than 7, Something else Toronto is pleased to highlight is its commitment to film production.

The province is also home to a sizable South Asian community. As Canada provides a tolerant society where religious freedoms are protected and expression is encouraged, there is a great deal of religious diversity in the province. While Ontario is officially a secular society where approximately 20 percent of the residents do not identify with a religious affiliation, there are also thriving religious communities of every type.

Catholic and Protestant are the two largest groups, alongside sizeable Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, and Sikh groups. With so many newcomers arriving in the province each year, Ontario has many non-profit groups, as well as government agencies, that are well equipped to provide settlement services to new immigrants.

In addition, the presence of diaspora communities can be a very appealing factor for new immigrants. While Ottawa is the national capital, it is not the capital of Ontario. As with any Canadian province, Ontario has wide control over its healthcare, education and other services. The city has much in common with New York as it is the economic capital of the country and home to the head offices of many of the largest Canadian companies.

The reference to "the Swiss" comes from the impressive cleanliness and safety of the city, factors that help Toronto get ranked consistently among the most livable cities in the world.

Toronto is a vibrant city with many cultural communities and a constant flow of events. In many ways, however, Toronto remains very unique in its own right. Throughout the city one can find neighbourhoods featuring pockets of immigrants from any corner of the world, from Greektown to Little Italy, and from Chinatown to Little Portugal and Koreatown. A major appeal of Toronto for immigrants remains the economic opportunities for working in Canada. Toronto receives the highest number of immigrants of any city in Canada each year, the result of which is that the city has one of the highest percentages of foreign-born residents in the world.

This diversity, along with high standards of living, has helped the city to earn praise and recognition on the world stage. In fact, the city is effectively connected to the Gatineau region which includes Hull, Quebec on the other side of the provincial border, and the city is often referred to as Ottawa-Gatineau.

As the seat of the federal government, the public sector accounts for a great deal of employment in Ottawa. With the government located in the region, many national and multinational companies that work closely with government or the public sector also choose to locate major offices in Ottawa. The city is also home to a large and growing high-tech sector, which helps account for Ottawa having the highest concentration of PhD recipients in Canada.

Ottawa is also home to two major universities, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.