ONTARIO, a province of the Domin ion of Canada (formerly called Upper Canada, or Canada West) ; bounded on the W. by Manitoba, on the N. by Kee watin and James Bay; on the N. E. and E. by the province of Quebec, on the S. E. by the St. Lawrence, on the S. and S. W. by Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior; area, 222,000 square miles; pop. (1917) (est.) 2,750,000; capital, Toronto, pop. (1919) 499,278. Ottawa, the Dominion capital, is situated in the E. part of the province. Other impor tant cities are Hamilton and London. The chief lakes of the province are Sim coe, Nipissing, and Nipigon. The chief rivers are on the boundary, the Ottawa, the Albany, and the Niagara, the Falls lying partly in the province. The sur face is generally low, no elevation ex ceeding 1,000 feet. The province is crossed by the Laurentian hills. The climate is healthful with extreme cold only in the N. part. The richest, most thickly settled, and most highly culti vated portion of the province is the penin sula between the St. Lawrence and Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Huron. A large part of the province is covered with timber, and this, with the water facilities, makes lumbering one of the chief industries.
Minerals.—Mining is the principal in dustry of the province, the minerals in cluding silver, copper, iron, nickel, gyp sum, marble, and salt. The province is rich in petroleum. Lambton county con taining the largest oil-producing dis tricts. In 1883 nickel was discovered at Sudbury, the deposits since proving to be the richest on the Continent. The to tal value of the mineral production in 1918 was $80,208,972. Of this the gold was valued at $8,502,480; silver, $17, 415,882; nickel in worth, $26,578,200; marble (metallic), $1,262,116; copper, $8,262,360; natural gas, $2,498,769; ce ment, $1,910,839; salt, $1,287,039.
Agriculture.—Farming is an impor tant occupation and most of the soil is of excellent quality. The chief crops are hay and clover, Indian corn, wheat, bar ley, oats, peas, root crops, potatoes, and tobacco. The value of the crops in 1918 was $363,909,778. The value of farm buildings, land, livestock, etc., was $1, 633,413,528. The butter production was valued at $13,126,470, and the cheese at $24,356,019. Stock raising, dairy farm
ing, and bee culture are among the in dustries of the province. The value of live stock sold or slaughtered in 1899 was $38,457,018. The wool clip of the prov ince in 1900 was 5,805,921 pounds.
Fisheries.—In 1918 the yield of the fisheries was valued at $3,175,104. The catch consists chiefly of trout, white fish, herring, and pickerel.
Government.—The provincial govern ment is administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the governor-gen eral for five years, assisted by a respon sible ministry. There is only one chamber, the Legislative Assembly which has 111 members. The government's policy is to encourage the development of provincial resources.
Manufacturing.—Ontario is essentially a manufacturing province. Great indus tries are established and there is a suc cession of prosperous cities and towns from E to W. With the steady develop ment of the water powers of the province, and the increased value of its resources, unlimited opportunities present them selves. In 1917 there were 14,581 es tablishments. Capital, $1,335,968,699. Employes, 289,503. Wages, $229,191, 908. Value of products, $1,533,738,655.
Education.—The school system of the province is free, attendance being com pulsory between the ages of 7 and 13; it includes kindergartens, public schools, and high schools (or collegiate institu tions). "Separate schools" (chiefly Ro man Catholic) are recognized as part of the system. The educational grant made by the Government in 1919 was $3,807, 509. At the head of the educational system stands the Toronto University.
History.—Ontario was first settled by the French. At the close of the Ameri can Revolution, many loyalists came to this region from the United States. In 1760 it passed into the hands of the Brit ish, who organized the province of Que bec in 1774 and in 1791 divided it into Upper and Lower Canada. These were reunited in 1841, and again separated when the Dominon of Canada was organ ized in 1867, the W. province becoming the province of Ontario. Several battles of the War of 1812 occurred in this re gion, including those of the Thames, of Lundy's Lane, etc. An unsuccessful re bellion occurred in 1837.