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Ontario is a Canadian province bordered by Manitoba, Quebec, Hudson Bay, James Bay, and Minnesota. It is the second largest province and has a population of over 12 million. Its economy is diverse, with a strong manufacturing and information technology sector. Its coat of arms includes a black bear, moose, and stag, and its flag has a Union Jack in the corner. Ontario has a rich history of Native American and European immigration.
Ontario is one of the ten provinces of Canada, along with Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Saskatchewan. The remainder of Canada’s territory consists of three territories: the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon Territory. Located in south-central Canada, Ontario is bordered by Manitoba to the west, Quebec to the east, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north, and the state of Minnesota to the south, four of the Great Lakes: Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
Ontario gets its name from Lake Ontario, whose name comes from an Iroquois word meaning “beautiful lake.” Ontario is the second largest province in Canada with an area of 415,000 square miles (1,074,845 sq km) and the fourth largest division if territories are included. It makes up nearly 11% of the land in Canada. Ontario’s 2007 population was 12,803,900, the largest of any region and more than a third of the country’s total population.
Ontario, home to the nation’s capital of Ottawa, as well as its own capital in Toronto, is nicknamed the Heartland province and Ontario’s motto is Ut incepit Fidelis sic permanet: Loyal Began, Faithful Remains. Other major cities include Hamilton, London and Windsor which surprises many people to learn that it is actually south of Detroit and a major entry point into Canada from the United States.
The provincial coats of arms are as follows:
Floral Emblem: White Lily
Mineral Emblem: Amethyst
Tree Emblem: Eastern White Pine
Aviary Emblem: Common Loon
Escutcheon: Three gold maple leaves on a green background under a cross of St. George.
Coat of arms: the shield of arms with a black bear above and a moose and a stag on either side. The motto is also included.
Flag: Coat of arms on a red field with a Union Jack in the upper left corner.
Aboriginal peoples, supplemented by immigrants from the United States, made up Ontario’s primary population before the War of 1812. The Native American population was originally rural but now includes urban dwellers. The Inuit are not native to the region, although some have moved to Ontario. Several waves of British, and then European, immigration occurred as the mining industry developed and followed a more diverse group of immigrants. While the current population is still mainly of British descent, the population has become more diverse.
Ontario’s central location in Canada, as well as its access to US markets, well-developed transportation, wide range of natural resources, and well-trained population are factors in its productive economy, with state-of-the-art manufacturing and services . Ontario not only has more than half of Canada’s most fertile arable land, a vibrant mining industry and a strong steel industry, but also a strong information technology sector that has earned it the nickname “Silicon Valley North”.
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