Toronto is the largest city in Canada,[3] and the provincial capital of Ontario,[4] it is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario.[5] With over 2.5 million residents,[1] it is the fifth-most populous municipality in North America.[6] Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely-populated region in south-central Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe which is home to over eight million residents.[7][8][9]The census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 5,113,149,[1] and the Greater Toronto Area had a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Census.[8]
As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is considered a global city.[10] Toronto's leading economic sectors include finance, business services, telecommunications, aerospace, transportation, media, arts, film, television production, publishing, software production, medical research, education, tourism and sports industries.[11][12][13] The Toronto Stock Exchange, the world's fifth largest, is headquartered in the city, along with a majority of Canada's corporations.[11]
Toronto's population is cosmopolitan and international,[14][15] which reflects its role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada[16]. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also rated Toronto as the world's most diverse city, as about 49 percent of the population were born outside of Canada.[14][15][17] Because of its low crime rates,[18] clean environment and generally high standard of living, Toronto is consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit[19] and the Mercer Quality of Living Survey.[20] In addition, Toronto was ranked as the most expensive Canadian city in which to live in 2006.[21]
Residents of Toronto are called Torontonians. Toronto has a number of sister cities, which are selected based on economic, cultural and political criteria.
Attractions
Toronto's most prominent landmark is the CN Tower, which currently stands as the tallest free-standing land structure in the world at 553 metres (1,815 ft).[39]
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a major museum for world culture and natural history. The Toronto Zoo. The Art Gallery of Ontario contains a large collection of Canadian, European, African and contemporary artwork. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art which is the only museum in Canada entirely devoted to ceramics and the Museum's collection contains more than 2,900 ceramic works from Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The Ontario Science Centre always has new hands-on activities and science displays particularly appealing to children, and the Bata Shoe Museum also features many unique exhibitions. The Don Valley Brick Works is a former industrial site, which opened in 1889, and has recently been restored as a park and heritage site. The Canadian National Exhibition is held annually at Exhibition Place, and it is the oldest annual fair in the world. It is Canada's largest annual fair and the fifth largest in the world, with an average attendance of 1.3 million.[40]
The Yorkville neighbourhood is one of Toronto's most elegant shopping and dining areas. On many occasions, celebrities from all over North America can be spotted in the area, especially during the Toronto International Film Festival. The Toronto Eaton Centre is one of North America's top shopping destinations, and Toronto's most popular tourist attraction with over 1 million visitors per week.[41]
Greektown on the Danforth, is another one of the major attractions of Toronto which boasts one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per kilometre in the world. It is also home to the annual "Taste of the Danforth" festival which attracts over one million people in 2 1/2 days.[42] Toronto is also home to Canada's most famous castle - Casa Loma, the former estate of Sir Henry Pellatt, a prominent Toronto financier, industrialist and military man. Other notable neighbourhoods and attractions include The Beaches, the Toronto Islands, Kensington Market, Fort York, and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
For more information on attractions, please visit the link on the right-hand side of the page.
(Wikipedia)