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Geography

Transportation Corridors

Ontario's lakes and rivers have historically provided natural travelling and trade routes. Beginning in the 19th century, canals were built to link certain lakes and rivers, including the Welland and Rideau canals. The St. Lawrence Seaway, completed in 1959, makes it possible for freighters to travel between Thunder Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, carrying goods to and from overseas markets. The Trent-Severn Waterway and the Rideau Canal are no longer used for high-volume commercial purposes but are still very popular with recreational boaters.

More than 16,500 centreline kilometres (10,253 miles) of provincial highways link Ontario's cities and towns, including the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and the 400 series of highways. Highway 401 stretches 820 kilometres (510 miles) from Windsor to the Quebec border, and is one of the busiest roads in the world. One section in the Toronto area carries 400,000 vehicles daily.

The railways were largely responsible for opening up northern Ontario, beginning in the 1880s when copper and nickel were discovered on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) transcontinental route. Today, railways are important for both passenger and freight service.

 
 
Visiting Ontario

Did you know?

  • The largest rock formation in Canada is the Canadian Shield. The scars from the advance and retreat of glaciers are evident on the rocks of the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield covers about two-thirds of Ontario.

  • The Ontario-U.S. border is almost entirely defined by water. To the east of Thunder Bay, the border runs along the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway, and to the west it follows a series of lakes and rivers.

  • There are actually 1,864 islands in the Thousand Islands.

  • The Ishpatina Ridge is the highest point in Ontario at 693 metres. 

 
 
 
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Last Modified: November 24, 2006