| Toronto is the provincial capital of the province of Ontario. It is a clean, safe, cosmopolitan city located on the shores of Lake Ontario. Toronto is one of the world most ethnically diverse cities.
The most heavily populated city in Canada, Toronto is a vibrant, cosmopolitan, financial, commercial and cultural centre with a rich multi-cultural heritage of more than 80 ethnic groups, speaking more than 100 languages. It has a lively stock exchange, soaring futuristic architecture, museums, art galleries, performing arts companies, fine restaurants, large shopping complexes, a waterfront and hundreds of parks.
Every year millions of people travel through Toronto and experience its great friendly spirit and lively nightlife. In addition to being a great destination for travelers, it is also the business centre of Canada.
History
In the 17th century Toronto was a small French colony; then came the American Revolution which encouraged scores of families whose loyalties lay with the British to flee north. Many settled beside the lake establishing a town known as York, which slowly grew in importance as an administrative and manufacturing centre. In 1834 the name was changed to Toronto, an Indian word meaning 'meeting place'. The new name proved worthy when about a century later the city's English character began to be buried beneath the conglomeration of cultures brought in by a massive tide of immigrants from all corners of the world. Old English pubs and Victorian and Edwardian architecture survive among the skyscrapers, but Toronto is today a lively and cosmopolitan city and Canada's commercial capital.
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