Ontario

Ontario is the second-largest province in Canada. The province is settled in a strip of Canadian mainland with the Hudson and James Bays on its north side and the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes chain on its south side. To the east, Ontario is bordered by the province of Quebec; to the south, the United States; and to the west, the province of Manitoba. Ontario is Canada's most populous province, with about one-third of the overall population.

Historically, Canada West, or Upper Canada, was the Canadian region now referred to as Ontario. From 1791 to 1841, it was called Upper Canada, and from 1841 to 1867, it was called Canada West. The two names were used interchangeably at the time.

The province has two time zones—the central (CDT) and eastern (EST) zones. The boundary line between the two time zones is west of Thunder Bay and runs north from the border of the United States to Hudson Bay.

The capital of Ontario is Toronto. Toronto is Canada's financial center and the seat of the stock exchange. The capital city of Canada is Ottawa, which is located in southeastern Ontario. Other major cities in Ontario include London, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, Windsor, Kingston, and Sudbury. Ontario is Canada's major economic hub, and it is known for its vast forests, provincial parks, four of the five Great Lakes, and Niagara Falls.