Map of Ontario
Ontario is a first-level division of Canada. Its largest mapped city is Toronto, with about 5.21 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Ontario, and the tables list its 47 mapped cities along with the mountains, lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 47
- Largest City
- Toronto
- Country
- Canada
- Highest Point Mapped
- 693 m
Interactive Map of Ontario
About Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it is home to over 14 million people, which is approximately 38.5% of the country's population. Ontario is the second-largest province by total area, after Quebec, and the fourth-largest jurisdiction of all the Canadian provinces and territories. Ontario's capital is Canada’s most populous city, Toronto. The province is additionally home to the country’s national capital, Ottawa.
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. To the south, it is bordered by the U.S. states of (from west to east) Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania (through Lake Erie), and New York State. Almost all of Ontario's 2,700-kilometre (1,700 mi) international border with the United States follows rivers and lakes: from the westerly Lake of the Woods, eastward along the major rivers and lakes of the Great Lakes drainage system. There is only about one kilometre (0.62 mi) of actual land border, made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border in Quetico-Superior Country. Detroit–Windsor, North America's largest and wealthiest transborder agglomeration, connects Ontario to Michigan.
The great majority of Ontario's population and arable land are in Southern Ontario, and while agriculture remains a significant industry, the province's economy depends highly on manufacturing. In contrast, Northern Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and heavy forestation, with mining and forestry making up the region's major industries.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Ontario (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ontario in Depth
History
Paleo-Indians were the first people to settle on the lands of Ontario, about 11,000 years ago, after crossing the Bering land bridge from Asia to North America between 25,000 and 50,000 years ago. During the Archaic period, which lasted from 8000 to 1000 BC, the population slowly increased, with a generally egalitarian hunter-gatherer society and a warmer climate. Trading routes also began emerging along the St. Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. Hunting and gathering remained predominant throughout the early Woodland period, and social structures and trade continued to develop.
Around 500 AD, corn cultivation began, later expanding to include beans and squash around 1100 AD. Increased agriculture enabled more permanent, fortified, and significantly larger settlements.
Geography
The thinly populated Canadian Shield, which dominates the northwestern and central portions of the province, comprises over half the land area of Ontario. Although this area mostly does not support agriculture, it is rich in minerals, partly covered by the Central and Midwestern Canadian Shield forests, and studded with lakes and rivers. Northern Ontario is subdivided into two sub-regions: Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario.
The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the extreme north and northeast are mainly swampy and sparsely forested.
Economy
Ontario is Canada's leading manufacturing province, accounting for 52% of the total national manufacturing shipments in 2004. Ontario's largest trading partner is the American state of Michigan. In April 2012, Moody's bond-rating agency rated Ontario debt at AA2/stable, while S&P rated it AA−. Dominion Bond Rating Service rated it AA(low) in January 2013. Long known as a bastion of Canadian manufacturing and financial solvency, Ontario's public debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to be 38.4% in fiscal year 2023–2024.
Mining and the forest products industry, notably pulp and paper, are vital to the economy of Northern Ontario. As of 2011, roughly 200,000 ha are clearcut each year; herbicides for hardwood suppression are applied to a third of the total.
Demographics
In the 2021 census, Ontario had a population of 14,223,942 living in 5,491,201 of its 5,929,250 total dwellings, a 5.8 per cent change from its 2016 population of 13,448,494. With a land area of 892,411.76 square kilometres (344,562.11 square miles), it had a population density of 15.9/km2 (41.3/sq mi) in 2021. The largest population centres in Ontario are Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, London and Oshawa, which all have more than 300,000 inhabitants.
The percentages given below add to more than 100%, because of dual responses (e.g., "French and Canadian" response generates an entry both in the category "French Canadian" and in the category "Canadian").
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ontario (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ontario: Key Facts
| Population | 14,223,942 (2021) |
|---|---|
| Area | 1,076,395 km² |
| Capital | Toronto |
| Head of government | Doug Ford |
| Highest point | Ishpatina Ridge |
| Established | 1 July 1867 |
Facts from Wikidata Q1904 (CC0).
History of Ontario: Empires and States
The atlas records 7 polities whose mapped territory included part of Ontario, from Haudenosaunee in 1450 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Haudenosaunee | 1450–1701 CE |
| Kingdom of France | 1702–1761 CE |
| New France | 1702–1761 CE |
| British Colonial Empire | 1718–1931 CE |
| The British Empire | 1718–1931 CE |
| United States of America | 1776–2024 CE |
| Canada | 1932–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Ontario
Ontario on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Ontario
Ontario is Canada's second-largest province, and the most populous, with more than 14 million inhabitants. It is home to the Canadian capital city of Ottawa, and Toronto, which is Ontario's capital and Canada's largest city.
Stretching from the shores of Hudson Bay (an arm of the Arctic Ocean) in the north to four of the five Great Lakes in the South and from Manitoba in the west to Quebec in the east, Ontario is truly massive at over a million square kilometres (almost half a million square miles).
However most of that area is remote wilderness untouched by tourism, apart from camping, fishing, and hunting. Most visitors stay in the more densely populated southern part of the province which is at the same time a fertile farming region, Canada's main industrial area, and English Canada's political, media and cultural hub. The national capital, Ottawa, features numerous monuments and museums, of course.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Ontario (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Ontario
47 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 5.21 million | Ontario | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Ottawa | 1.15 million | Ontario | National capital |
| 3 | Hamilton | 721,053 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 4 | Oshawa | 450,963 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 5 | Kitchener | 417,001 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 6 | London | 346,765 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 7 | Windsor | 319,246 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 8 | Barrie | 182,041 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 9 | Sudbury | 157,857 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 10 | Sarnia | 144,172 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 11 | Kingston | 114,195 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 12 | Thunder Bay | 99,334 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 13 | Peterborough | 83,627 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 14 | North Bay | 50,170 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 15 | Cornwall | 48,821 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 16 | Belleville | 43,990 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 17 | Orillia | 37,483 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 18 | Timmins | 34,974 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 19 | Orangeville | 32,640 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 20 | Brockville | 26,458 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 21 | Owen Sound | 22,625 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 22 | Kenora | 10,852 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 23 | Kapuskasing | 9,240 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 24 | Dryden | 7,862 | Ontario | Populated place |
| 25 | Parry Sound | 7,105 | Ontario | Populated place |
The other 22 (population, region, role)
- New Liskeard · 5,203 · Ontario · Populated place
- Hearst · 5,043 · Ontario · Populated place
- Marathon · 4,627 · Ontario · Populated place
- Sioux Lookout · 4,570 · Ontario · Populated place
- Cochrane · 4,441 · Ontario · Populated place
- Deer Lake · 3,743 · Ontario · Populated place
- Atikokan · 3,625 · Ontario · Populated place
- Chapleau · 2,663 · Ontario · Populated place
- Wiarton · 2,182 · Ontario · Populated place
- Wawa · 2,174 · Ontario · Populated place
- Attawapiskat · 1,802 · Ontario · Populated place
- Red Lake · 1,765 · Ontario · Populated place
- Moosonee · 1,725 · Ontario · Populated place
- Little Current · 1,595 · Ontario · Populated place
- Thessalon · 1,464 · Ontario · Populated place
- Cobalt · 1,372 · Ontario · Populated place
- Geraldton · 1,290 · Ontario · Populated place
- Nipigon · 1,204 · Ontario · Populated place
- Cat Lake · 277 · Ontario · Populated place
- Fort Severn · 125 · Ontario · Populated place
- Lansdowne House · 120 · Ontario · Populated place
- Big Beaver House · 10 · Ontario · Populated place
Highest Mountains in Ontario
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ishpatina Ridge | 693 m | 2,274 ft | North America |
Largest Lakes in Ontario
24 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Superior | 84,920 km² | Lake |
| 2 | Lake Erie | 25,815 km² | Lake |
| 3 | Georgian Bay | 13,897 km² | Lake |
| 4 | Lake Nipigon | 4,727 km² | Lake |
| 5 | Lake of the Woods | 4,618 km² | Lake |
| 6 | North Channel | 3,768 km² | Lake |
| 7 | Lac Seul | 1,512 km² | Reservoir |
| 8 | Lake St. Clair | 1,146 km² | Lake |
| 9 | Lake Nipissing | 908 km² | Lake |
| 10 | Lake Simcoe | 731 km² | Lake |
| 11 | Big Trout Lake | 672 km² | Lake |
| 12 | Lake St. Joseph | 645 km² | Lake |
| 13 | Trout Lake | 516 km² | Lake |
| 14 | Ogoki Reservoir | 471 km² | Reservoir |
| 15 | Sandy Lake | 439 km² | Lake |
| 16 | Lake Kipawa | 418 km² | Lake |
| 17 | North Caribou Lake | 364 km² | Lake |
| 18 | Lac des Mille Lacs | 299 km² | Lake |
| 19 | Minnitaki Lake | 289 km² | Lake |
| 20 | Marmion Lake | 226 km² | Lake |
| 21 | Sturgeon Lake | 172 km² | Lake |
| 22 | Big Rideau Lake | 170 km² | Lake |
| 23 | Umfreville Lake | 165 km² | Reservoir |
| 24 | Long Lake | 157 km² | Lake |
Ports in Ontario
89 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montebello | 56.7 m | Very Small | Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway | point_of_interest |
| 2 | Papineauville | 56.7 m | Very Small | Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway | point_of_interest |
| 3 | Thurso | 56.7 m | Very Small | Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway | point_of_interest |
| 4 | Rockland | 56.7 m | Very Small | Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway | point_of_interest |
| 5 | Cumberland | 56.7 m | Very Small | Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway | point_of_interest |
| 6 | Masson | 56.7 m | Very Small | Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway | point_of_interest |
| 7 | St Zotique | 56.7 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | point_of_interest |
| 8 | St Anicet | 56.7 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | point_of_interest |
| 9 | South Lancaster | 56.7 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | point_of_interest |
| 10 | Picton | 56.7 m | Very Small | Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway | medium vessels |
The other 79 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Port Hope · 56.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Credit · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Oakville · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Bronte · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Dover · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Kingsville · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Southampton · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Severn · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Blind River · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Desbarats · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Goulais Bay · 56.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Whitby · 56.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Coteau Landing · 53 m · Very Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · point_of_interest
- Rockport · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Gananoque · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Millhaven · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Trenton · 53 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Cobourg · 53 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Rondeau · 53 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Pelee I North Wharf · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Pelee I West Dock · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Elgin · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Lions Head · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Meaford · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Thornbury · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Victoria Harbour · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Cockburn · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Hilton · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Gargantua · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Belleville · 53 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Wiarton · 53 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Dalhousie · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Stanley · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Leamington · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Amherstburg · 49.4 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Penetanguishene · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Waubaushene · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Byng Inlet · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Key Harbour · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Killarney · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Gore Bay · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Bruce Mines · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Quebec Harbour · 49.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Clarkson · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Queenston · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Maitland · 45.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Walpole Island · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Sombra · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Courtright · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Goderich · 45.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Tobermory · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Collingwood · 45.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Midland · 45.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Tiffin · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Port Mcnicoll · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Manitowaning · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Honora · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Kagawong · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Meldrum Bay · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Richards Landing · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Batchawana Bay · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Michipicoten · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Heron Bay · 45.7 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Windsor · 45.7 m · Minor · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Point Edward · 45.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Owen Sound · 45.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Little Current · 45.7 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Lower Lakes Terminal · 42.1 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
- Port Weller · 42.1 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Welland · 42.1 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Thorold · 42.1 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Port Colborne · 42.1 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Toronto · 42.1 m · Minor · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Hamilton · 42.1 m · Minor · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Cornwall · 42.1 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- Parry Sound · 42.1 m · Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Thessalon · 42.1 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · medium vessels
- St Catherine · 38.4 m · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · large vessels
- Cardinal · Very Small · Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway · point_of_interest
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ontario
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rideau Canal World Heritage Site | 2007 | Cultural | (i) (iv) |
Ontario: Quick Answers
- Where is Ontario?
- Ontario is a first-level division of Canada, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 47.3491° N, 83.3274° W.
- What is the largest city in Ontario?
- Toronto is the largest city mapped in Ontario, with a metropolitan population of about 5.21 million.
- How many cities are in Ontario?
- YearMaps maps 47 cities and towns in Ontario, with a combined metropolitan population of about 9.78 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Ontario?
- The highest summit mapped in Ontario is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 m.
- What is the largest lake in Ontario?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Ontario is Lake Superior, at about 84,920 km².