Toronto
City in Ontario, Canada
Situated on the shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto is Canada’s largest city and is the provincial capital of Ontario. With a population of over 2.75 million, it is the fourth most populous city in North America after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles.
The city is also the centre of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) which is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada and includes the Golden Horseshoe, a heavily urbanized region that is home to 8.7 million people which is about 26% of the population of Canada.
As a global city, Toronto is an international centre for business, finance, arts, and culture and it is widely recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.
It is also Canada’s centre for music, theatre, film and television production and is home to the headquarters of Canada’s major national broadcast networks and media outlets. Its varied cultural institutions, which include numerous museums and galleries, festivals and public events, entertainment districts, national historic sites, and sports activities, attract over 25 million tourists each year.
Toronto is well known for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings in particular the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, the CN Tower.
As Canada’s commercial capital, the city is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the headquarters of Canada’s five largest banks, and the headquarters of many large Canadian and multinational corporations. Its economy is highly diversified with strengths in technology, design, financial services, life sciences, education, arts, fashion, business services, environmental innovation, food services, and tourism.
Originally named York, during the War of 1812, the town was the site of the Battle of York and suffered heavy damage by U.S. troops. York was renamed and incorporated as the city of Toronto in 1834, and became the capital of the province of Ontario during the Canadian Confederation in 1867.