The province of Ontario is located in central Canada, with Manitoba on the west, Quebec on the east, and the United States on the south. Ontario has Canada's largest population, (9,698,500 est., 1990), and with an area of 1,068,580 sq km (412,581 sq mi) is second in size only to Quebec. The word Ontario is of Iroquoian origin and was given to the most easterly of the Great Lakes in 1641. A fundamental contrast exists between southern Ontario, with the bulk of the province's population, manufacturing, and agriculture, and northern Ontario, which is sparsely settled and dependent on mining and forestry. LAND AND RESOURCES The dominant geological element in Ontario is the \TCanadian Shield\t with its Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. The shield underlies much of the province. To the southwest of \THudson Bay\t and \TJames Bay\t and between Lakes Erie, Huron, and Ontario, younger sedimentary rocks dominate. The most striking topographic feature is the Niagara Escarpment, which forms a transportation barrier from \TNiagara Falls\t to the \TManitoulin Islands\t. Soils and Vegetation The soils of Ontario are typical of humid temperate climates with coniferous forest growth. Southwestern Ontario has gray brown podzols underlying a deciduous forest that changes northward to a mixed forest. Brown podzols reach into northern Ontario where coniferous forests dominate. The northern Ontario podzol soil zone supports boreal forests with firs, spruces, tamaracks, and jack pines. Much of northern Ontario is bog and rock, and the Hudson Bay lowlands have tundra and deep bog soils interspersed with marshes and muskegs. Climate Ontario's average temperatures decrease with increasing latitude, and both temperature and precipitation are affected by the Great Lakes, by altitude, and by relief. January temperatures average -6 deg C (21 deg F), and those of July, 20 deg C (68 deg F). Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year and decreases in amount from 864 mm (34 in) in the southwest to less than 508 mm (20 in) in the far north. Rivers and Lakes In northern Ontario the major rivers, including the Albany, Attawapiskat, and Moose, empty into James Bay, whereas the southern Ontario rivers flow into the \TGreat Lakes\t. Ontario shares four of the five Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Superior) with the United States. Other large lakes are Lake Nipissing at North Bay and Lake Nipigon near Thunder Bay. Resources and Animal Life The mineral wealth of Ontario was not recognized until the late 19th century. The world's largest deposits of nickel and copper, with associated lead, zinc, gold, silver, and platinum, were discovered in the Sudbury basin in 1883. North America's largest goldfields were discovered north of Sudbury, at the towns of Porcupine and Kirkland Lake, in 1905-12. One of the world's largest uranium fields was discovered at Elliot Lake in 1954, and major copper, zinc, and silver deposits were found near Timmins in 1964. Ontario also has considerable timber resources. Fur-bearing animals, such as mink, otters, and beavers, inhabit northern Ontario, an area also popular for hunting moose, caribou, and other large game. Trout, whitefish, herring, and pickerel are found in abundance. PEOPLE The population of Ontario (1990 est.) is 9,698,500. The growth rate of the cities of \TKitchener\t, \TLondon\t, Mississauga, and Brampton exceeded the growth rate of the province during the 1981-86 period. The cities of \TSudbury\t, \TSaint Catharines\t, and \TThunder Bay\t decreased in population. In the early 1980s the national origins of the population were about half British, followed by those of French, Italian, and German origins. About 25% of the population were born outside Ontario. French Canadians are mainly in eastern and northern Ontario. Only about 10% of the population are bilingual and 1% speak French exclusively. The small Indian population is almost exclusively rural, and the small black population is concentrated in the Toronto area. About one-third of Ontario's population is Roman Catholic. The principal Protestant denominations are the Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and United Church. Education Primary education is provided by both public and Roman Catholic schools, and secondary education is offered by academic and vocational schools. The provincial government also supports 18 degree-granting institutions and other post-secondary schools. Ontario's oldest higher education institution, the University of Toronto (see \TToronto, University of\t), was established in 1827. Cultural Attractions and Historic Sites The Ontario Arts Council was founded in 1963. The provincial and federal governments operate Canada's two largest museums at Toronto and Ottawa. Toronto is the center of Canada's English-language theater and supports two symphony orchestras and two choirs. The O'Keefe Centre, now home of the Canadian Opera Company and the \TNational Ballet of Canada\t, was opened in 1960. Ottawa acquired the National Arts Centre and Orchestra in 1969. The Stratford Festival, begun in 1952, is held annually during the summer and offers both dramatic and musical performances. The Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake was formed in 1962 to highlight the works of George Bernard Shaw. The federal government also established (1955) Upper Canada Village in Saint Lawrence Islands Park, with more than 40 reconstructed historic buildings. Within Ontario are two federal scenic parks and more than 90 provincial parks. Fort Henry at Kingston and Fort George at Niagara Falls have been preserved. Toronto hosts the Canadian National Exhibition, the world's largest annual fair. Communications Toronto is the headquarters of national television and radio broadcasting, with a number of television stations as well as AM and FM radio stations. The province is served by some of Canada's leading newspapers, especially the \TToronto\t \Tglobe\t AND \Tmail\t, the Toronto Star, and the Toronto Sun. ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Ontario has changed from a primarily agricultural province to one dominated by manufacturing and mining. It is Canada's most prosperous as well as most populous province. Manufacturing Ontario's industries employ half the country's manufacturing work force and produce half the total value of industrial production. Ontario particularly gained from a 1965 automobile trade pact with the United States, which almost tripled automobile production and resulted in comparable increases for related industries. The strong automobile industry helped lead Ontario (and the country as a whole) out of recession in the mid-1980s. Mining Mineral production in Ontario ranks second in value only to that of Alberta (although Alberta produced more than six times the value produced by Ontario). Ontario is first nationally in the production of nickel. Copper also contributes significantly. Other important minerals are iron, gold, uranium, salt, and silver. Gold exploration, development, and production has been an active sector of the industry. Agriculture Once Ontario's dominant industry, agriculture now employs only a small percentage of the labor force but remains one of the province's leading industries. Corn, mixed grains, barley, and winter wheat are among the major crops. About two-thirds of all farm income is derived from livestock raising. Dairy farming is also important. Forestry Vast forestlands are located in Ontario, most of them owned by the province. The pulp and paper industry is concentrated along the shores of Lakes Superior, Huron, and Nipissing and where the railways cross the major Hudson Bay rivers. Most of the pulp and paper products are exported to the United States. Energy Virtually all the province's hydroelectric-power sites have been harnessed. Other sources of power include fossil-fuel or nuclear-powered plants. Ontario, always an importer of energy, meets some of its fuel needs through petroleum and natural-gas imports from western Canada. Coal is imported from the United States. Transportation The Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Seaway system is vital in the shipment of bulk cargoes and prairie grains. A system of provincial roads supplements the Trans-Canada Highway. Canada's finest railroad network runs through southern Ontario. The system includes two transcontinental lines and one provincially owned railroad. The International Airport in Toronto is Canada's largest. \TSault Sainte Marie\t, Ottawa, London, and Thunder Bay also have commercial airports. GOVERNMENT A lieutenant governor, representing the queen, is at the head of the provincial government and governs with the advice and consent of his ministry, or executive council. The executive council is, in turn, responsible to the unicameral legislature, the Legislative Assembly, which is popularly elected every 5 years. The leader of the majority party in the legislative assembly is the premier. Ontario has 24 senators and 99 members of the House of Commons in the federal Parliament. HISTORY The original inhabitants of southern Ontario were \THuron\t, Neutral, and Tobacco Indian farmers. Hunting was the major pursuit of the \TAlgonquin\t, \TCree\t, and \TOjibwa\t tribes of the north. The French explorer Etienne \TBrule\t was the first European to travel among them on his expedition to the \TOttawa River\t in 1610-11. When Samuel de \TChamplain\t explored southern Ontario in 1615, he encountered the Hurons. By 1648-49 the southern tribes were decimated as a result of the clash between the Iroquois and the French over the lucrative fur trade, and because of the onslaught of European diseases. The native population of 50,000 at the time of European contact fell to 13,000 by the mid-19th century. In 1763, France ceded Canada to Great Britain. By the \TQuebec Act\t of 1774, Ontario became part of an extended colony ruled from Quebec, and the territory was made a base for Loyalist and Indian attacks during the American Revolution. By 1784 between 6,000 and 10,000 \TLoyalists\t--as well as some Iroquois Indians who had fought for Britain--settled there. The Constitutional Act of 1791 divided Quebec colony into Lower (French) and Upper (Loyalist) Canada. John Graves \TSimcoe\t, the first lieutenant governor, supervised the establishment of an English system of law and local government in Upper Canada and fixed the capital at York (now Toronto). In 1841, Upper and Lower Canada united, and the former Upper Canada became known as Canada West. The Robert \TBaldwin\t-Louis Hippolyte \TLafontaine\t ministry in 1848 introduced responsible cabinet government and the present systems of education and municipal government. Wheat became the major agricultural export, although timber exceeded it in value. Exports, in turn, stimulated urban development by adding port functions and shipbuilding to the activities of towns along Lake Ontario's western shore. In the 1850s railways came to the province, encouraging industrialization and making Toronto a rival to Montreal. Upon Confederation in 1867, Canada West became Ontario, and Toronto was made the provincial capital. In 1882 the Niagara Falls' hydroelectric power was harnessed, launching an era of industrialization and of the realization of power potential from the northern rivers, from the Saint Lawrence, and, ultimately, from nuclear power. In the 20th century the chief concerns are economic development and the exploitation of minerals discovered after 1914. The provincial government has taken steps to reduce pollution and to regulate surface mining. A provincial conservation branch was established in 1944, and detailed inventories of the environment and of forest resources were begun in 1946. A central theme in the economy and the politics of Ontario is the interplay of centralizing and decentralizing forces. Those favoring more centralized control were in the forefront following the 1990 provincial election in which the New Democratic party gained control of the legislature, implementing the first democratic socialist government in Ontario's history. D. Michael Ray Bibliography: Gentilcore, R. Louis, ed., Ontario (1972); Gentilcore, R. Louis, and Head, C. Grant, Ontario's History in Maps (1984); Glazebrook, G. P. de T., Life in Ontario: A Social History (1968); MacDonald, Donald C., ed., Government and Politics of Ontario (1975); Manthorpe, Jonathan, The Power and the Tories (1974); Middleton, Jesse E., and Landon, Fred, The Province of Ontario: A History, 4 vols. (1927); Morley, William F., Ontario and the Canadian North (1978); Oliver, Peter N., Public and Private Persons: The Ontario Political Culture, 1914-1934 (1975); Ontario Historical Society, Profiles of a Province (1967); Rea, Kenneth J., The Prosperous Years: The Economic History of Ontario, 1939-1975 (1985); Schindeler, F. F., Responsible Government in Ontario (1969); Spelt, Jacob, Urban Development in South Central Ontario (1972); Williamson, O. T. G., The Northland Ontario (1946); Wright, J. V., Ontario Prehistory (1972).