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Toronto, Ontario is Canada's biggest city and the capital of the province of Ontario. Toronto is located on the shore of Lake Ontario in the southwestern area of Ontario. Toronto is most often known for its financial and economic districts including large corporations and the Toronto Stock Exchange. Various corporations including companies devoted to medical research, software production, transportation, telecommunications, media, film and television are found in the city.
A large portion of the population (49%) is composed of immigrants, creating an ethnically diverse city culture. The name for the city is believed to have been sourced from an Aboriginal word to refer to woods standing in water. European settlers (mostly of Irish descent) founded the territory after the Huron tribes. The city was made official in March 1834 and has grown tremendously since.
Area Geography
The city features long areas of waterfront shores, a large harbour and various islands. The area of Toronto is 243 square miles (630 square km). Toronto's borders are marked by means of the Rouge River (east), Lake Ontario and Etobicoke Creek (south), highway 427 (west) and Steeles Avenue to the north.
Escarpments, bluffs, ravines and island have been fashioned as a result of sediment build up from tributaries emptying into the Toronto Harbour. Due to the forested regions that have grown, parks, outdoor sites and fun trails have been developed to take advantage. Though the ravines make for faster drainage during rainfall, flooding can still occur. The elevation in the city spans from 246 feet (75 m) to 686 feet (209 m) at various points in the city.
The city has a core population of 2.5 million people with a metropolitan population of nearly 5.1 million according to the most recent census. The typical age in the city is 36.9. People aged 65 and older comprise 13.6% of the population. Nearly 50 % of the population are immigrants (49%) with the remaining majority comprised of people from European origins. The city is made up of various cultural centers which include Greektown, Little Italy, Chinatown, Little India and others. While 52% of the population are British, French, Italian, and Irish descent, 46% are members of a visible minority group. Some examples are: South Asian (12%), Black (8%), Chinese (11%), and Filipino (4%). Toronto's gender population is divided into 48% male and 52% female residents.
Something like 100,000 immigrants arrive in Toronto annually, making the city extremely diverse. English is the predominant language used, however, Chinese and Italian are spoken widely in the workplace and emergency services are equipped to handle calls in 150 different languages.
Weather
The conditions in Toronto can be classified as being humid and moderate. Summers are typically warm and humid and winters are generally cold. Toronto goes through distinct season changes. Often there are daily temperature variances during the winter.
Snowstorms often are blended with rain and ice and disrupt the city's schedule and flow. Through the snowy months (November-April), the moderate temperatures will often melt the snow at 5 to 12 C (41 to 54 F). Cold snaps dropping temperatures below -10 C (14 F) will occasionally occur. Heat, dampness and precipitation mark the summer months. During a heatwave, temperatures soar to above 95 F often lasting for long stretches. The average summer city temperature sits between 73 F to 31 88 F. Thunderstorms are regular as is precipitation during the summer.
