Toronto

Toronto ( IPA: [təˈrɑntoʊ] ; locally: IPA: [tʃəˈrɑːnə] ) is the capital and most populous city of the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as the country's most populous metropolitan area. With a recorded population of 7,556,348 in 2016, it is the most populous city in Canada and the second-most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of nearly 30 million people surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognised as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

People have travelled through and inhabited the area now known as Toronto for more than 10,000 years; the region is located on a broad sloping plateau interspersed with rivers, deep ravines, and urban forest. After the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase, when the Mississauga First Nation surrendered the area to the British Crown, the British Empire established the town of York in 1793 and later designated it as the capital of Upper Canada. During the War of 1812, the town was the site of the Battle of York and suffered heavy damage by American troops. York was renamed and incorporated in 1834 as the City of Toronto. It was designated as the capital of the Province of Ontario in 1867 during Canadian Confederation.

The city proper has since expanded past its original borders through both annexation and amalgamation, incorporating in 1977 the formerly separate municipalities of Etobicoke, York, North York, East York, and Scarborough, which became boroughs of Toronto; however, the original Old Toronto was never redesignated as a borough, and continues to this day to be referred to as the City of Old Toronto, although it functions administratively as a borough. In 1998, following the passing of a regional plebiscite, an additional 24 municipalities surrounding Toronto were amalgamated into the city proper as boroughs, giving the modern city a total of 29 boroughs in addition to the city centre of Old Toronto.

The diverse population of Toronto reflects its current and historical role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada. More than 50 percent of residents belong to a visible minority population group, and over 200 distinct ethnic origins are represented among its inhabitants. While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, over 160 languages are spoken in the city.

Toronto is a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, and television production, and is home to the headquarters of Canada's major national broadcast networks and media outlets. Its varied cultural institutions, which include numerous museums and galleries, festivals and public events, entertainment districts, national historic sites, and sports activities, attract over 43 million tourists each year. Toronto is known for its many skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, the CN Tower.

The city is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the headquarters of Canada's five largest banks,[40] and the headquarters of many large Canadian and multinational corporations. Its economy is highly diversified with strengths in technology, design, financial services, life sciences, education, arts, fashion, aerospace, environmental innovation, food services, and tourism.