Ontario

It is one of the ten provinces that, together with the three territories, make up the thirteen federal entities of Canada. It is home to the largest Canadian city, Toronto, and Ottawa, the capital. It is located in the centre-east of the country, bounded on the north by Hudson Bay, on the east by Quebec, on the south by the Great Lakes and the Niagara River that separate it from the United States, and on the west by Manitoba. The southern region of Ontario is home to the southernmost point in all of Canada.

The main source of income for Ontario is the industry. The value of industrial products produced in Ontario is greater than the sum of the total value of industrial products manufactured in all other provinces and territories of Canada. The strength of its manufacturing industry earned it the nickname Manufacturing Heartland of Canada. The province stands out mainly for its strong automotive industry the most competitive of the entire American continent with the exception of Michigan of the United States. Other important sources of income are tourism and the provision of financial and real estate services.

Ontario is one of the richest and most economically prosperous national subdivisions of North America, thanks to its strong and varied economy, its gradually growing population and the existence of skilled labour.

Distribution by sectors

The primary sector is responsible for 1.5% of Ontario's GDP. Currently, it has about 67 thousand farms, which occupy about 5% of the province. Agriculture and livestock together employ about 140 thousand people and correspond to 1% of GDP. The decrease in the number of farms in the last decades caused the average size of Ontario farms to grow. Forestry corresponds to about 0.5% of GDP, employing approximately 90 thousand people. Fishing corresponds to less than 0.01% of GDP, employing close to a thousand people.

The secondary sector is responsible for 27.5% of the province's GDP. The manufacturing industry is responsible for 22% of provincial GDP, employing approximately 1.1 million people. The industry is the province's largest source of income. Ontario's manufacturing industry employs more than half of all industrial workers across Canada. The main products manufactured in Ontario are automobiles, trucks and similar products, electronic products such as televisions and computers, steel (Hamilton is one of the largest steel centres in the world), food products and chemical products.

The construction industry employs approximately 325,000 people and is responsible for approximately 4.5% of the province's GDP. And mining, formerly one of the province's main sources of income, has progressively declined with the diversification of Ontario's economy and with the increasing modernization in this area in recent decades - currently, mining corresponds to only 1 % of the GDP of Ontario, employing about 35.2 thousand people. The province has large reserves of nickel - an eighth of the world's nickel is produced in Ontario - cobalt, copper, gold, silver and zinc.

The tertiary sector accounts for 71% of all of Ontario's GDP. Community and personal services correspond to 23% of provincial GDP and employ more than 2.25 million people. Financial and real estate services employ 390,000 people and are responsible for 22% of Ontario's GDP. Toronto is the financial capital of Canada. Wholesale and retail trade accounts for 15% of the province's GDP and employs approximately 1.4 million people. Transport and telecommunications employ approximately 46 thousand people and correspond to 8% of the province's GDP. Government services correspond to 5% of the GDP of Ontario and employ 275 thousand people. Finally, public services correspond to 3% of the GDP of the province, employing about 560.3 thousand people. Nearly 50% of the electricity generated in Ontario is produced in nuclear power plants, 25% in hydroelectric power plants and most of the rest is produced in thermoelectric plants in general (which can use coal, oil or natural gas as fuel).