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Southern Ontario
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Southern Ontario is the portion of the Canadian province of Ontario lying south of the French River and Algonquin Park. It is the southernmost region of Canada.
Due to demographic and cultural changes, Southern Ontario is now rarely thought of or referred to as a single entity, except in the context of contrasting it with Northern Ontario.

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Encyclopedia
Southern Ontario is the portion of the Canadian province of Ontario lying south of the French River and Algonquin Park. It is the southernmost region of Canada.
Due to demographic and cultural changes, Southern Ontario is now rarely thought of or referred to as a single entity, except in the context of contrasting it with Northern Ontario. Instead, the region is much more commonly divided into smaller subregions, such as Eastern Ontario, Central Ontario, Southwestern Ontario, the Greater Toronto Area or the Golden Horseshoe, which includes the Greater Toronto Area.
Identity
It is generally considered distinct from Northern Ontario, as it is far more densely populated and contains the majority of the province's cities, major roads, and institutions. Southern Ontario contains 94 per cent, or 11.75 million, of Ontario's total population of 12.5 million people, while the north, in contrast, contains more natural resources and remote wilderness. The south makes up approximately 15 per cent of the entire land area of the province as a whole. For an inland location, it has an abundance of fresh water coastline on three of the Great Lakes (Huron, Erie and Ontario) and smaller inland lakes, notably Lake Simcoe and Lake St. Clair (part of the Great Lakes system). It is a major vineyard region and producer of Canadian wines.
Some analyses can go as far as to consider the two regions as, essentially, separate provinces, due to the level of contrast. In fact, a large portion of the north did not become part of Ontario until 1912, 45 years after Ontario entered Confederation.
Demographics
Southern Ontario is home to almost 12 million people, compared to fewer than 800,000 in the North. 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 and proximity to populated areas of the Northeastern (New York and Pennsylvania) and Midwestern United States (Michigan and Ohio).
The region is one of the top destinations for immigrants worldwide. Some of the most well known cities of Southern Ontario are Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, St. Catharines-Niagara, Waterloo, and Windsor, and largest among them, Toronto and Ottawa (also part of the sub-region of Eastern Ontario).
The area has a large manufacturing sector. Since the mid 2000's Ontario produces more vehicles per year than the State of Michigan. It is part of the infamous Rust Belt. The Province's two largest cities Toronto and Ottawa however are very service oriented. With Toronto being home to all of the Major Canadian banks, and Ottawa being the capital of Canada.
The area is well known for its attractions and tourism. It is home to many professional sports teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, amongst others. It is home to many theme parks including Canada's Wonderland, and Marineland (Ontario). Ontario has several legal gambling establishments throughout the Province with Caesars Windsor, and Fallsview Casino being the two flagship casino's in the Province.
Sources
- 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) ISBN 0-7743-9422-6.
Chasing Canada, Ontario eclipses Michigan in auto production. http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0507/16/autos-249603.htm
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