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Ontario Geography

It's a big place!

Even people who live in Ontario can have trouble appreciating the sheer size of this province. Ontario is Canada's second largest province, covering more than one million square kilometres (415,000 square miles) - an area larger than France and Spain combined. If you look at a **[|map of Ontario] ** you will notice that the province is bounded by Quebec on the east, Manitoba on the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay on the north, and the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes on the south. The longest east-west distance in Ontario is 1,690 kilometres (1050 miles). The longest north-south distance is 1,730 kilometres (1075 miles). The highest point is 693 metres (785 yards) above sea level, in the Timiskaming area. Manitoulin Island in Georgian Bay is the world's largest freshwater island covering 2,766 square kilometres (1,068 square miles). 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. 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. Ontario's most northerly communities are close to the same latitude as London, England and Warsaw, Poland. Ontario's southernmost point of land is Middle Island, in Lake Erie south of Point Pelee, roughly parallel to Barcelona, Spain or Rome, Italy. More than 13 million people live in Ontario. Land of Water

Ontario's landforms are the products of continental uplift and erosion, the movement of glaciers, and the continuing actions of wind, waves, water and gravity. In the north are the Hudson Bay Lowlands, consisting of swamp, meadow and forest. The **[|Canadian Shield] ** covers the rest of northern Ontario, and extends into the southeast. The Shield is marked by impressive granite formations, pine forests, lakes and rivers. Ontario's quarter million lakes and countless rivers and streams hold about one-third of the world's fresh water. Most northern Ontario rivers flow into James Bay and Hudson Bay. The rivers of southern Ontario flow into the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River system. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Lowlands provide fertile soils and ideal farmland.

> === === > === === > === === > ===**Did You Know?** ===
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 31px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There are actually 1,864 islands in the Thousand Islands.
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 31px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">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.
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 31px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area.
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 31px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lake Michigan, the third largest of the Great Lakes, is entirely within the United States.
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 31px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lake Huron is the world’s fifth largest lake.
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 31px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes.
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 31px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes.

Canadian Shield

<span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">he Canadian Shield (pictured in shades of red) is Canada's largest physiographic area as it can be found in at least six provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec plus Newfoundland and Labrador) and two territories (Northwest and Nunavut). It covers about two-thirds of Ontario and contains Precam brian rocks that are more than 570 million years old. The rocks are exposed or are covered by soils, peat, sand, gravel, clay and debris from the glacial activity in the past.

Glacial features found in the Shield include outwash, eskers, moraine, kames, whalebacks and drumlins. Glacial activity helped to form the basins and paths for the many pictureque lakes, rivers and streams on the Shield that vacationers are attracted to. The cottages, resorts and waterways have inspired writers and painters to produce some very creative works to assist with the tourism industry. <span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In Ontario the area within the Canadian Shield also provides vast forest regions for the lumber industry and historically it has also provided areas that are ideal for trapping and hunting to the benefit of the fur trade in Ontario. <span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today it also provides the mining industry with resources for amethyst, cobalt, copper, gold, iron, nickel, platinum, silver, zinc and many other minerals. <span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In Ontario the Canadian Shield extends from the Manitoba border in a wide swath through the province to the Thousand Islands area of the St. Lawrence River just east of Kingston, then north to just west of Ottawa and on to Quebec. The Ishpatina Ridge is the highest point in Ontario at 693 metres.

<span style="color: #a300ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">Climate

<span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ontario's climate ranges from humid continental in the south, with chilly winters, warm summers and lots of humidity, to subarctic in the north. The large bodies of water in the north and south have a moderating effect on climate, making summer and winter temperatures less extreme, delaying autumn frosts, and reducing the differential between day and night temperatures. On average the coldest month of the year is January and the warmest is July.January temperatures around the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario average -13°C (9°F). From Niagara Falls to Windsor, the January average is about -4°C (25°F). The average temperatures in July range from 23°C (74°F) in southwestern Ontario, to 19°C (64°F) in eastern Ontario. The seasonal temperature differential is much greater in Northern Ontario. For example, at Kapuskasing the record low is -47°C (-53°F), while the record high is 38°C (101°F). <span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ontario's weather is marked by considerable rain or snow throughout the year, caused by cold polar air from the north meeting warm moist air from the south. Annual precipitation in northern Ontario varies from 70 cm (28 in) in Moosonee, to 97 cm (38 in) in North Bay. In southwestern Ontario, precipitation averages about 95 cm (37 in) per year. The heaviest snowfalls occur in a belt lying inland to the east from Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, including Owen Sound where annual snowfall can exceed 339 cm (134 in). <span style="color: #a300ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">Transportation Corridors

<span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ontario's lakes and rivers have historically provided natural travelling and trade routes. Beginning in the 19th century, canals were built to link certain lakes and rivers, including the Welland and Rideau canals. The Trent-Severn Waterway and the Rideau Canal are no longer used for high-volume commercial purposes but are still very popular with recreational boaters. The Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent Canal is the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world, carrying vessels to a height of 65 feet. <span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The St. Lawrence Seaway, completed in 1959, makes it possible for freighters to travel between Thunder Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, carrying goods to and from overseas markets. <span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">More than 16,500 centreline kilometres (10,253 miles) of provincial highways link Ontario's cities and towns, including the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and the 400 series of highways. Highway 401 stretches 820 kilometres (510 miles) from Windsor to the Quebec border, and is one of the busiest roads in the world. One section in the Toronto area carries 420,000 vehicles daily. <span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The railways were largely responsible for opening up northern Ontario, beginning in the 1880s when copper and nickel were discovered on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) transcontinental route. Today, railways are important for both passenger and freight service. GO Transit carries nearly 55 million passengers annually which results in approximately 1.6 billion fewer kilometres of passenger car trips each year.

<span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">All above information from [|Ontario Geography]