It was 10,000 years ago when the first Aboriginal people arrived in what is now Ontario. While some Aboriginal nations settled down to erect villages and farm the land in the south, other nations continued to wander. There were battles between the nations, but by the 1600s they had begun to band together into confederacies and had developed a democratic system of government.

The French were the first Europeans to arrive in Ontario, following the path of explorers in the early 1600s. The “Voyageurs” paddled canoe-loads of fur that would eventually be sold to Europe’s elite. The lucrative fur trade drew the English to the wild shores of Hudson Bay only a few years later, but settlement in earnest began with the Loyalists moving north after the War of American Independence around 1779.

Today, there are two Aboriginal language groups in Ontario: Algonquian, spoken by the Algonquin, Ojibwa and Cree; and Iroquoian, spoken by the Iroquois. The French culture is still a part of Ontario, with Franco-Ontarians representing five per cent of the province's population of approximately 12.5 million. Successive waves of immigrants have continued to enrich Ontario's culture, and its cities are microcosms of the world in their rich ethnic variety. Today, Ontario is home to more than 80 cultures.

The word “Ontario:” is thought to mean “beautiful waters” in the original Iroquoian – and it couldn’t be a more appropriate description. While 80 percent of the province is covered by forests, 20 per cent is comprised of water, with over 250,000 lakes gouged into the rock of the Canadian Shield by the last ice age. Covering more than one million square kilometres (415,000 square miles) – an area larger than France and Spain combined – Ontario is Canada’s second largest province. Ontario’s most northerly communities are close to the same latitude as London, England. Ontario’s southernmost point of land – Middles Island, in Lake Erie south of Point Pelee – is roughly parallel to Barcelona, Spain.

Ontario is one of 10 provinces and three territories that form Canada. Both Ontario and Canada have political systems based on the British parliamentary and constitutional monarchy model.

Ontario is Canada’s most populous province and is the economic engine that powers the country. Ontario is this nation’s manufacturing leader and produces 60% of all manufactured goods exported out of our nation.

Ontarians enjoy a rich history and a dynamic, vibrant life today. There are countless interesting and exciting things to see and do.