Southern Ontario is a
primary region of the
province of
Ontario,
Canada, the other primary region being
Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disputed; however, the core region is situated south of
Algonquin Park, the latter being in an area of transition between coniferous forest north of the French and Mattawa Rivers and southern deciduous forest. It covers between 14 and 15% of the province, depending on the inclusion of the
Parry Sound and
Muskoka districts which also lie in the transitional area between northern and southern forest regions. With more than 12.7 million people, the region is home to approximately one-third of Canada's population of 35.1 million.
Southern Ontario differs greatly from
Northern Ontario, in that it has a much larger population density, a different climate, and a different culture than its northern counterpart. It is broken into smaller subregions, including
Central Ontario,
Eastern Ontario, the
Golden Horseshoe, and
Southwestern Ontario.
The core area of Southern Ontario is part of the
Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, which extends northeast into southern
Quebec. The transitional northern area of this primary region extends north to the Mattawa River and occupies part of the
Grenville Geological Province of the
Canadian Shield which also extends northeast into southern Quebec; most of Northern Ontario lies within the
Superior Geological Province.
Identity
Southern Ontario can be distinguished from Northern Ontario because it is far more densely populated and contains the majority of the province's cities, major roads, and institutions. Northern Ontario, in contrast, contains more natural resources and remote wilderness. Although it has no saltwater coastline, the region has an abundance of freshwater coastlines on three
Great Lakes (
Huron,
Erie and
Ontario), as well as smaller lakes such as
Lake Simcoe and
Lake St. Clair. It is a major
vineyard region and producer of
Canadian wines.
While Southern Ontario has been a part of the province of Ontario since its establishment at
Confederation in 1867, previously forming the colony of Upper Canada, a large portion of Northern Ontario did not become part of Ontario until 1912.
History

Territorial Southern Ontario was explored and colonized by the French in the 17th century, who forged relations with the
Wyandot ''Huron'' people, based around the Georgian Bay/Lake Simcoe area. Other
Iroquoian speaking people to the south were the
Petun and
Neutral Nation, and further northeast,
Algonquins inhabited the upper Ottawa River/Madawaska Valley areas and the
Mississaugas moved south from northern Lake Huron, settling lands in both the
Kawartha region and just west of Toronto.
Following the
Seven Years' War, the British wrested control of Southern Ontario, and greater colonization efforts were spurred on by the arrival of
United Empire Loyalists brought on by the
American Revolution.
Southern Ontario was where a large portion of the battles took place during the
War of 1812, and was a major destination for escaping slaves using the
underground railroad.
Following the enactment of
Prohibition in the United States in 1919, Southern Ontario immediately became a hotbed of smuggling alcohol ''(spirit)'' across the border.
Demographics
Southern Ontario is home to over 94%, or 12.1 million, of Ontario's total population of 12.9 million people (and about 35% of Canada's total population), compared to approximately 750,000 in Northern Ontario. This is due to many factors, including the more arable land in the south, its more moderate climate, well-used transportation (water, land and air) routes, proximity to populated areas of the
Northeastern and
Midwestern United States, as well as a long history of early European
settlers and
colonialism.
For thousands of years, Ontario has been home to
indigenous aboriginal communities, with numerous nations with differing languages at the time of European contact. Over 200,000 aboriginal Canadians live in Southern Ontario today.
Southern Ontario was colonized by the
French and the
British. After the area began to be developed for European settlement, especially after the American Revolutionary War, other
European immigrants arrived as well, with increased immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the late 20th century, many immigrants have come from Asia and other parts of the world. The region is one of the top destinations for immigrants worldwide, particularly the
Greater Toronto Area.
Economy
The area has a large manufacturing sector. Since the mid-2000s, Ontario has produced more vehicles per year than the state of
Michigan. In a cross-border definition, a swath of Southern Ontario could be considered a part of the
Rust Belt. Factory closings because of industry restructuring, globalization (corresponding movement of jobs overseas and to non-unionized labour markets in the United States) have for the past few decades taken their toll. This is most evident in the region's southern tier cities which have large automobile or associated industrial bases, such as
Windsor,
London,
St. Thomas and
St. Catharines. Still affected by these factors but to a lesser extent is
Hamilton, the centre of steel production, and
Sarnia, the centre of petrochemical production. The province's two largest cities, Toronto and Ottawa, have moved increasingly to a service and knowledge economy, although Toronto still has a strong industrial presence spread over wide areas along its rail and highway corridors as well as a container port linking it to the
St. Lawrence Seaway. Toronto, the largest city of the province, is the site of all of the
major Canadian banks and its heart has the country's financial sector, including the
Toronto Stock Exchange. Ottawa, the national capital, has an economy that is heavily dependent on the public sector, in addition to having a strong technology sector.
Some parts of Southern Ontario are heavily entwined with bordering cities in
New York and Michigan in terms of industry and people. The focus areas are the
Buffalo–Niagara,
Sarnia and
Detroit–Windsor. Many people work and live on opposite sides of the border. The
NEXUS program for frequent travelers across the border is increasing in popularity among bordering communities. Other areas with heavy trade traffic with Southern Ontario include
Montreal and the province of
Quebec, parts of northern
Ohio, and western
Pennsylvania.
Tourism
Southern Ontario is well known for its attractions and tourism. Some popular tourist attractions include the
CN Tower,
Parliament Hill,
Niagara Falls,
National Gallery of Canada,
Canada's Wonderland,
CNE,
Caesars Windsor,
Canadian War Museum,
Toronto Zoo,
Hockey Hall of Fame,
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada,
Royal Canadian Mint,
Marineland,
The Rideau Canal, the
Canadian Museum of History and the
Royal Ontario Museum.
Niagara Falls is the 6th most visited attraction by domestic and international tourists in the world, with over 14 million tourists each year. In 2006,
Toronto was the 14th most visited city by international tourists in the world, with over 4.1 million visitors in the year.
Ottawa is the most visited city in Canada by domestic tourists, hosting over 6.9 million Canadian visitors per year.
Southern Ontario is home to several professional sports teams, including the
Ottawa Senators and
Toronto Maple Leafs in the
NHL; the
Toronto Blue Jays in
Major League Baseball; the
NBA's Toronto Raptors; soccer's
Toronto FC in
MLS and
Atlético Ottawa in the
Canadian Premier League; and three teams in the
Canadian Football League—the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats,
Ottawa Redblacks, and
Toronto Argonauts. The region also hosts the
Canadian Open in golf and
Rogers Cup in tennis.
thumb|275px|Niagara Falls
The area sponsors many internationally renowned festivals and events, including
Toronto International Film Festival,
Winterlude,
Caribana,
Bluesfest,
Pride Week,
Kitchener Oktoberfest,
Havelock Jamboree,
Toronto Indy,
Sarnia Bayfest,
Canada Day in Ottawa,
International Freedom Festival in
Windsor,
Stratford Festival,
Shaw Festival and
Virgin Festival.
Several large legal gambling establishments have been built throughout the Province, with
Caesars Windsor and
Fallsview Casino being the two flagship casinos. In addition to casinos, Ontario has many legal
horseracing facilities with
slot machines. Racetrack slots are located throughout the Province. All gaming in the Province is overseen by the
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), and the
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Southern Ontario has many natural attractions.
Wasaga Beach,
Grand Bend,
Sauble Beach, and
Sandbanks are beaches along the
Great Lakes. The
Niagara Escarpment offers hiking, skiing, and hundreds of waterfalls, including
Niagara Falls. The
Ottawa River has white-water rafting which attracts
rafters and
kayakers from all over the world.
Ontario Parks governs all provincial parks, and
Parks Canada governs all
national parks.
Cities
Southern Ontario is home to both Canada's largest city (Toronto) and the national capital city (Ottawa). Toronto is Canada's
largest, and
North America's fourth-largest, city. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 2.6 million and a
metropolitan population of over 5.5 million.
Ottawa is Canada's
fourth-largest city and
capital city. It is home to most
federal government departments and the
Parliament of Canada. It has a population of 964,743, and a
metropolitan population of over 1.4 million.
Southern Ontario communities have 13 telephone
area codes: 226, 249, 289, 343, 365, 416, 437, 519, 548, 613, 647, 705, and 905.
Statistics Canada's measure of a "metro area", the
Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), roughly bundles together population figures from the core municipality with those from "commuter" municipalities. Note: A city's
metropolitan area may actually be larger than its CMA. For example;
Oshawa is part of the
Greater Toronto Area; however, it is considered its own CMA.
Census divisions
The region is broken up into 40
census divisions, including 22
counties, eight
regional municipalities, nine
single-tier municipalities and depending on its inclusion, one
district. The line between the counties and regions of the south and the districts of the north can be considered a boundary between Southern and Northern Ontario.
This is disputed however, as the demarcation line that is referenced in provincial documents is the Nipissing Passageway, originally an
Indian trail between Georgian Bay and the
Ottawa River. The trail follows the
French River from
Georgian Bay to
Lake Nipissing. At
North Bay, of land separates Lake Nipissing from Trout Lake. From Trout Lake, the trail follows the
Mattawa River to the
Ottawa River.
*
Brant (136,035)
*
Bruce (66,102)
*
Chatham–Kent (104,075)
*
Dufferin (56,881)
*
Durham (608,124)
*
Elgin (87,461)
*
Essex (388,782)
*
Frontenac (149,738)
*
Grey (92,568)
*
Haldimand-
Norfolk (109,118)
*
Haliburton (17,026)
*
Halton (501,669)
*
Hamilton (519,949)
*
Hastings (134,934)
*
Huron (59,100)
*
Kawartha Lakes (73,214)
*
Lambton (126,199)
*
Lanark (65,667)
*
Leeds & Grenville (99,306)
*
Lennox & Addington (41,824)
*
Middlesex (439,151)
*
Muskoka1 (58,047)
*
Niagara (431,346)
*
Northumberland (82,126)
*
Ottawa (883,391)
*
Oxford (105,719)
*
Parry Sound1 (42,162)
*
Peel (1,296,814)
*
Perth (75,112)
*
Peterborough (134,933)
*
Prescott and Russell (85,381)
*
Prince Edward (25,258)
*
Renfrew (101,326)
*
Simcoe (446,063)
*
Stormont, Dundas and Glengary (111,164)
*
Toronto (2,615,060)
*
Waterloo (507,096)
*
Wellington (208,360)
*
York (1,032,524)
1 Muskoka and Parry Sound are commonly regarded as a transitional region between Southern and Northern Ontario. Both divisions may be regarded as northern districts geographically, culturally and politically in some contexts.
The 2011 census revealed that the major urban divisions of York, Halton, Peel and Ottawa had the largest growth. While the heavy industrial divisions of Chatham, Lambton, and Essex, as well as the mainly recreational divisions of Huron and Prince Edward had a decrease in population.
Higher learning
Southern Ontario has long been an international destination for higher learning. It houses numerous internationally acclaimed public
universities and colleges amongst its 13
universities and 20
colleges. It is also home to numerous private post-secondary institutions.
Culture
Many notable Canadians have been born in Southern Ontario, owing to its nature as Canada's largest concentration of population. Toronto is notable for its
multiculturalism and cosmopolitan nature: it has been called in the top 30 diverse city in the world in 2021. Southern Ontario also features in the literary genre of
Southern Ontario Gothic, a major strand in Canadian literature.
Transportation

Southern Ontario has a highly developed transport system including many
highways, airports, ports, trains and buses. The freeway system in Southern Ontario is referred to as the
King's highways system, or the
400 series highways. The freeways are digitally monitored by the
Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) using the
COMPASS-Freeway Traffic Management System With the long-awaited upgrade of Highway 406, all the freeways in Ontario are at least 4 lanes wide, fully controlled with interchanges and divided. The major freeways are
400,
401,
402,
403,
404,
405,
406,
407 (Toll),
409,
410,
412 (Toll),
416,
417,
420,
427,
Don Valley Parkway,
Gardiner Expressway,
Queen Elizabeth Way,
Queensway,
Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway,
Red Hill Valley Parkway,
Conestoga Parkway, and the
E. C. Row Expressway.
Southern Ontario also has several
border crossings with the United States. The
Ambassador Bridge,
Detroit–Windsor Tunnel, and
Blue Water Bridge connect the region with the
U.S. state of
Michigan, while the
Peace Bridge,
Rainbow Bridge,
Whirlpool Rapids Bridge,
Lewiston–Queenston Bridge,
Thousand Islands Bridge,
Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge, and
Seaway International Bridge link Southern Ontario with the U.S. state of
New York.
The region has a long history of marine transportation, with hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo moving along the
Great Lakes, and
Saint Lawrence Seaway each year. The
Welland Canal is a vital part of the
Great Lakes Waterway allowing ships to avoid
Niagara Falls. The
St. Clair River and
Detroit River are also well travelled rivers between Lake Huron and Lake Erie in the
Windsor,
Sarnia area. Major, regional ports include the
Port of Hamilton and Port of Windsor with smaller ports in
Oshawa,
Toronto,
Goderich and Sarnia. Southern Ontario also has thousands of other fresh water lakes and rivers, as well as the
Trent-Severn Waterway and
Rideau Canal.
An inter-city train service in the region is provided mainly by
Via Rail. The
Greater Toronto area also has a commuter train system called the
GO Train, which is supplemented by a network of bus services.
There are several major international airports including the busiest airport in the country,
Toronto Pearson International Airport (ranked 15th busiest worldwide by flights in 2014),
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport,
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport,
London International Airport, and
Region of Waterloo International Airport. Many Southern Ontarians living close to the
Michigan or
New York State borders use either
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, or
Buffalo Niagara International Airport as their local airport.
Climate

Southern Ontario has a
humid continental climate with four distinct seasons. The average highs in July for the region range between 25 °C (77 °F) to 29 °C (84 °F). The average high in January ranges from -6 °C (21 °F) to 0 °C (32 °F). The highest recorded temperature in Southern Ontario was 45 °C (113 °F) and 52 °C (125 °F) with the
humidex. During cold snaps, winter temperatures can on occasion drop below -30 °C (-22 °F). The climate found over most of southern Ontario falls within the ''Dfb'' and '' Dfa'' climate subtype, much warmer or milder than the northern part of the province due to lower latitude, presence of bodies of water and intense urbanization.
Harsh weather is not uncommon in the region, in the summer months Southern Ontario is susceptible to
tornadoes but far more often, straight line wind damage, hail and localized flooding from severe thunderstorms. Although the majority of tornadoes rarely cause excessive damage, the region is on the periphery of
Tornado Alley and
(F4) tornadoes touchdown every few decades causing widespread damage. Southern Ontario also gets
hurricane remnants,
floods,
ice storms, heavy
fog,
hail, and
blizzards.
Small
earthquakes occur in the region. The 5.8
Cornwall–Massena earthquake occurred in 1944 and had a maximum
Mercalli intensity of VII (''Very strong'').
Many tourists visit the area in the autumn months to look at the bright vibrant colours of
fall foliage.
Southern Ontario has a very different climate from the rest of the country. It is the only area of Canada that has
Carolinian forest.
Many trees, plants, and wildlife in Southern Ontario are not found anywhere else in Canada. Some rare trees to Canada in this region include the
tulip tree,
pawpaw fruit tree and the
cucumber tree. The Carolinian forests of Southern Ontario have in large part been destroyed by development sprawl. Very few original growth areas remain.
The region has the most fresh water beaches in the nation. With relatively warm waters by mid-summer due to the very warm and humid summer months with significant coastlines of white sand, the major beaches in the region are visited by millions of tourists every summer. The most popular beaches are
Wasaga Beach,
Grand Bend,
Sauble Beach, and
Sandbanks.
See also
*
Central Ontario
*
Golden Horseshoe
*
Eastern Ontario
*
Southwestern Ontario
*
Ontario Peninsula
*
Northern Ontario
*
Great Lakes region
*
Great Lakes Megalopolis
Footnotes
References
*''Chapman, L. J. and Putnam, D. F. The Physiography of Southern Ontario. 3rd ed. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 1984. (Ontario Geological Survey. Special volume 2) .''
External links
Southern Ontario Tourism
{{Subdivisions of Ontario
Category:Geographic regions of Ontario