Ontario is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. Located in Central Canada, it is Canada’s most populous province, with 38.3% of the country’s population. Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north, and Quebec to the east and northeast.
About Ontario in brief
Ontario is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. Located in Central Canada, it is Canada’s most populous province, with 38.3% of the country’s population. The province consists of three main geographical regions: Despite the absence of any mountainous terrain in the province, there are large areas of uplands, particularly within the Canadian Shield. Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north, and Quebec to the east and northeast, and to the south by the U.S. states of Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. It is named after Lake Ontario, a term thought to be derived from Ontarí: io, a Huron word meaning ‘great lake’ or possibly skanadario, which means ‘beautiful water’ in the Iroquoian languages. Ontario’s climate varies by season and location. Three air sources affect it: cold, dry, arctic air from the north ; Pacific polar air crossing in from the western Canadian PrairiesUS Northern Plains; and warm, moist air from Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. In general, most of Ontario’s climate is classified as humid continental. The same is true on the northern parts of Ontario, extending south as far as Kirkland Lake, the colds of Hudson Bay depress it. Along the eastern shores of Lake Superior, which is cools hots in the summer, temperatures are slightly moderated but come with heavy lake-effect snow squalls that increase seasonal snowfall totals to 3 m in some places.
These regions have higher annual precipitation totals in higher places. In Southern Ontario, the most typical thunderstorm activity in a year is 33 days per year, averaging 33 cm per year. In some places over 100 cm of precipitation, in some areas over 100cm of snowfall has been recorded in the past year. The highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 metres above sea level in Temagami, Northeastern Ontario. The Carolinian forest zone covers most of the southwestern region of the province. The temperate and fertile Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Valley in the south is part of the Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests ecoregion where the forest has now been largely replaced by agriculture, industrial and urban development. Point Pelee is a peninsula of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario that is the southernmost extent of Canada’s mainland. All are south of 42°N– slightly farther south than the northern border of California. Pelee Island and Middle Island in Lake Erie extend slightly farther. All are south of 42°S– slightly farther south than the northern border of California. The largest, northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and heavy forestation. Northern Ontario covers approximately 87% of Ontario’s surface area; conversely Southern Ontario contains 94% of the population.
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This page is based on the article Ontario published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 05, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
