The Ontario Peninsula is the southernmost part of the province of Ontario and of Canada as a whole. It is bounded by Lake Huron on the west, Lake Ontario on the east, and Lake Erie on the south. At its tip, it is separated from Michigan by the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, as well as Lake St. Clair. The peninsula also includes the Bruce and Niagara peninsulas, one projecting into Lake Huron and the other projecting towards New York, from which it is separated by the Niagara River.
The corner of the peninsula that lies on Lake Ontario is known as the Golden Horseshoe and forms Canada's largest population centre. Other large cities include London and Windsor.
Climate Like other parts of southern Canada, the Ontario Peninsula enjoys warm or hot summers often passing and rarely during extreme heatwaves. During the summer, the peninsula has normal thunderstorm activity, including severe thunderstorms that can have hail, damaging winds, and even tornadoes during peak season. It has cold winters, and snowfall can be abundant, particularly in the affected Snowbelt locations. However, there are many winter thaw periods that break the entrenched cold. The Ontario Peninsula has a humid continental climate; specifically, most of it falls into the Köppen climate classification Dfb except for Essex County, Chatham-Kent, and parts of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and the Niagara Peninsula, which are within the Dfa zone. However, the entire peninsula is near the Dfa/Dfb borderline.
History
Several countries covered the territories of the Ontario Peninsula before European colonization, most notably the United Nations of Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi, also called the Council of Three Fires, Huronia (or Wendake), and the Neutral Confederacy. In the 1600s, Southern Ontario would be colonized by France, with particular efforts to build alliances with each of the nations in the region they called the Pays d'en Haut, including setting up a mission in the Wendat (Huron) capital of Ossossané in what is now Simcoe County. These alliances were crucial as the French were perpetual enemies of the Haudenosaunee, with their country, Iroquoia, situated just east of Lake Ontario. Although every Indigenous nation was hit hard by outbreaks of disease, some of the biggest changes came during the Beaver Wars, which only came to an end in 1701 at the signing of the Great Peace of Montreal. In the aftermath, Wendake, the Neutral Confederacy, and Petun Country were destroyed, and demographic shifts saw the Ojibweg, notably those who were originally from around the Mississagi River, move onto the lands immediately north of Lake Ontario; these Anishinaabe would adopt the name "Mississauga." It is from them that the British bought land as part of the 1784 Between the Lakes Treaty to grant to the Kanien'kehá:ka as part of the Haldimand Proclamation, after the Seven Years' War, establishing the Six Nations of the Grand River.
Later, the Ontario Peninsula would experience much of the fighting during the War of 1812, including the Americans invading it and burning York (now called Toronto). After the war, population and trade boomed, and the Welland Canal was built.
When the British divided the Province of Canada into separate provinces, Toronto became the capital of Ontario and eventually became Canada's main economic centre.
Most populous entities By each definition, Toronto or its corresponding entity is the most populous not only in the Ontario Peninsula but also in Canada as a whole.
Most populous metropolitan areas Rank(2016) Rank(2011) Geographic name Type Population(2016) Population(2011) Change 1 1 Toronto (Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Vaughan) CMA 2 2 Hamilton (Burlington) CMA 3 3 Kitchener–Waterloo–Cambridge CMA 4 4 London CMA 5 5 St. Catharines–Niagara (Niagara Falls, Welland) CMA 6 6 Oshawa (Whitby, Clarington) CMA 7 7 Windsor (Lakeshore) CMA 8 8 Barrie (Innisfil) CMA 9 9 Brantford (Brant) CMA 10 10 Chatham-Kent CA 11 11 Sarnia (St. Clair) CA 12 12 Norfolk CA 13 13 Leamington (Kingsville) CA 14 14 Woodstock CA 15 15 Midland (Tay, Penetanguishene) CA 16 16 Owen Sound (Georgian Bluffs) CA 17 17 Stratford CA 18 18 Centre Wellington CA 19 19 Collingwood CA 20 20 Wasaga Beach CA 21 21 Tillsonburg CA 22 22 IngersollCA
Most populous municipalities Rank(2016) Municipality Municipal status Land area(km2, 2011) Growth rate 2011–2016 Population(2016) Population(2011) Population(2006) Population(2001) Population(1996)1TorontoCity630.24.46%2,731,5712,615,0602,503,2812,481,4942,385,4212MississaugaCity292.41.14%721,599713,443668,549612,925544,3823BramptonCity266.313.31%593,638523,911433,806325,428268,2514HamiltonCity1,117.23.26%536,917519,949504,559490,268467,7995LondonCity420.64.83%383,822 366,151352,395336,539325,6696MarkhamCity212.69.03%328,966301,709261,573208,615173,3837VaughanCity273.56.22%306,233288,301238,866182,022132,5498KitchenerCity136.86.42%233,222219,153204,668190,399178,4209WindsorCity146.32.99%217,188210,891216,473209,218197,69410Richmond HillCity101.05.11%195,022185,541162,704132,030101,72511OakvilleTown138.96.20%193,832182,520165,613144,738128,40512BurlingtonCity185.74.29%183,314175,779164,415150,836136,97613OshawaCity145.686.6%159,458149,607141,590139,051134,36414BarrieCity77.44.22%141,434135,711128,430103,71079,19115St. CatharinesCity96.11.30%133,113131,400131,989129,170130,92616GuelphCity87.28.30%131,794121,688114,943106,17095,82117CambridgeCity113.02.50%129,920126,748120,371110,372101,42918 Whitby Town 146.535.2%128,377122,022111,18487,41373,79419AjaxTown67.19.19%119,677109,60090,16773,75364,43020MiltonTown363.230.54%110,12884,36253,93931,47132,10421WaterlooCity64.06.28%104,98698,78097,47586,54377,94922Chatham-KentMunicipality2,458.1 -1.95%101,647103,671108,177107,341109,95023BrantfordCity72.54.11%97,49693,65090,19286,41786,41724PickeringCity231.63.44%91,77188,72187,83887,13978,98925Niagara FallsCity209.76.11%88,07182,99782,18478,81576,91726NewmarketTown38.35.31%84,22479,97874,29565,78857,12527SarniaCity164.7 -1.07%71,59472,36671,41970,87672,73828CaledonTown688.211.84%66,50259,46057,05050,60539,89329Norfolk CountyCity1,607.61.38%64,04463,17562,56360,84760,53430Halton HillsTown276.33.64%61,16159,01355,28948,18442,39031AuroraTown49.84.21%55,44553,20347,62940,16734,85732WellandCity81.13.28%52,29350,63150,33148,40248,411
Most populous population centres RankPopulation centreSize groupPopulation in 2016 Population in 2011 1 Toronto Large urban 2 Hamilton Large urban 3 Waterloo Large urban 4 London Large urban 5 Windsor Large urban 6 St. Catharines–Niagara Large urban 7 Barrie Large urban 8 Guelph Large urban 9 Milton Large urban 10 Brantford Medium 11 Sarnia Medium 12 Welland–Pelham Medium 13 Chatham Medium 14 Georgetown Medium 15 St. Thomas Medium 16 Woodstock Medium 17 Leamington Medium 18 Stouffville Small 19 Stratford Medium 20 Orangeville Medium 21 Bradford Small 22 Keswick–Elmhurst Beach Small 23 Bolton Small 24 Midland Medium 25 Innisfil Small 26 Owen Sound Small 27 Fergus Small 28 Collingwood Small 29 Alliston Small 30 Wasaga Beach Small 31 Tillsonburg Small 32 Port Colborne Small 33 Fort Erie Small 34 Strathroy Small 35 Simcoe Small 36 Amherstburg Small 37 New Hamburg Small 38 Angus–Borden CFB-BFC Small 39 Ingersoll Small 40 Paris Small 41 Beamsville Small 42 Elmira Small 43 Wallaceburg Small 44 Caledonia Small 45 Acton Small 46 Binbrook Small 47 Crystal Beach Small 48 Kincardine Small 49 Shelburne Small 50 Port Elgin Small 51 Aylmer Small 52 Goderich Small 53 Sutton Small 54 Listowel Small 55 Essex Small 56 Hanover Small 57 King Small 58 St. Marys Small 59 Port Dover Small 59 Dunnville Small 61 Corunna Small 62 Chippawa Small 63 Smithville Small 64 Tay Small 65 Petrolia Small 66 Tottenham Small 67 Mount Albert Small 68 Meaford Small 69 Tilbury Small 70 Mississauga Beach Small 71 Exeter Small 72 Mount Forest Small 73 Rockwood Small 74 Nobleton Small 75 Mitchell Small 76 Walkerton Small 77 Blenheim Small 78 Caledon East Small 79 Delhi Small 80 Ayr Small 81 Vineland Small 82 Stayner Small 83 Dorchester Small 84 Beeton Small 85 Southampton Small 86 St. George Small 87 Wellesley Small 88 Ballantrae Small 89 Waterford Small 90 Clinton Small 91 Ridgetown Small 92 Tavistock Small 93 Hagersville Small 94 Virgil Small 95 Wingham Small 96 Wheatley Small 97 Norwich Small 98 Harrow Small 99 Schomberg Small 100 Grand Bend Small 101 Seaforth Small 102 Erin Small 103 Palmerston Small 104 Durham Small 105 Lucan Small 106 Thornbury Small 107 Dresden Small 108 Wyoming Small 109 Arthur Small 110 Elmvale Small 111 Forest Small 112 Colchester Small 113 Port Stanley Small 114 Glencoe Small 115 Thamesford Small 116 Drayton Small 117 Dundalk Small 118 Wiarton Small 119 St. Jacobs Small 120 Carlisle Small 121 McGregor Small 122 Ilderton Small 123 Chesley Small 124 Mount Brydges Small 125 Harriston Small 126 Parkhill Small 127 Cayuga Small 128 Oro Station–Hawkestone Small 129 Everett Small 130 Grand Valley Small 131 Milverton Small 132 Watford Small 133 Caledon Small 134 Dutton Small 135 Plattsville Small 136 West Lorne Small 137 Mildmay Small 138 Markdale Small 139 Cookstown Small 140 Claremont Small 141 Stevensville Small 142 Creemore Small 143 Bourget Small 144 Belmont Small 145 Lucknow Small 146 New Dundee Small 147 Bayfield Small 148 Port Rowan Small 149 Stoney Point Small 150 Paisley Small 151 Palgrave Small 152 Jarvis Small
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