Central Canada

Central Canada (French: Centre du Canada, sometimes the Central provinces) is a region consisting of Canada's two largest and most populous provinces: Ontario and Quebec.[1] Geographically, they are not at the centre of Canada but instead overlap with Eastern Canada toward the east. Because of their large populations, Ontario and Quebec have traditionally held a significant amount of political power in Canada, leading to some amount of resentment from other regions of the country. Before Confederation, the term "Canada" specifically referred to Central Canada. Today, the term "Central Canada" is less often used than the names of the individual provinces.

Central Canada
Clockwise from the top:
Parliament Hill, Ottawa; Parliament Building, Quebec City; Montreal's Place d'Armes; Corner of Bay & King, Toronto
Map of Central Canada, defined politically
Composition
Largest cityToronto
Largest metroGreater Toronto Area
Area
 • Total2,265,154 km2 (874,581 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total21,612,855
 • Density9.5/km2 (25/sq mi)

Geography

The longitudinal centre of Canada passes just east of Winnipeg, Manitoba; the geographic centre of Canada is located near Baker Lake, Nunavut.

Before Confederation, the region known as Canada was what is now called Central Canada. Southern Ontario was once called Upper Canada and later Canada West, and southern Quebec was called Lower Canada and later Canada East. Both were part of the United Province of Canada in 1841.[2]

Population

Combined, the two provinces are home to approximately 23 million inhabitants, representing 62% of Canada's total population. They are represented in the House of Commons of Canada by 199 Members of Parliament Ontario: 121, Quebec: 78 out of a total of 338. The southern portions of the two provinces — particularly the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor — are the most urbanized and industrialized areas of Canada, containing the country's two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal and the national capital, Ottawa.

Census Metropolitan Areas, 2016 Census[3]
  1. Toronto, ON: 5,928,040
  2. Montréal, QC: 4,098,927
  3. Ottawa, ON–Gatineau, QC: 1,323,783
  4. Québec, QC: 800,296
  5. Hamilton, ON: 747,545
  6. Kitchener, ON: 523,894
  7. London, ON: 494,069
  8. St. Catharines–Niagara, ON: 406,074
  9. Oshawa, ON: 379,848
  10. Windsor, ON: 329,144
  11. Sherbrooke, QC: 212,105
  12. Barrie, ON: 197,059
  13. Sudbury, ON: 164,689
  14. Kingston, ON: 161,175
  15. Saguenay, QC: 160,980
  16. Trois-Rivières, QC: 156,042
  17. Guelph, ON: 151,984
  18. Peterborough, ON: 121,721
  19. Brantford, ON: 134,203
  20. Thunder Bay, ON: 121,621
  21. Belleville, ON: 103,472

See also
Look up Central Canada in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References
  1. "National Post View: Couillard touts the force of Central Canada". National Post. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  2. Constitutional Act of 1791, Act of Union 1840, British North America Acts (1867)
  3. Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census

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