Central Canada

Central Canada (sometimes the Central provinces) is a region consisting of Canada's two largest and most populous provinces: Ontario and Quebec. Due to their high 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.

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 Lower Canada and later Canada East. Both were made part of the United Province of Canada in 1841.

Population

Combined, the two provinces have approximately 20 million inhabitants which represents 62% of Canada's population. They are represented in the House of Commons of Canada by 181 Members of Parliament (Ontario: 106, Quebec: 75) out of a total of 308. The southern portions of the two provinces â€" particularly the Quebec Cityâ€"Windsor Corridor â€" 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, 2007 population estimates

1. Toronto, ON: 5,606,300
2. Montréal, QC: 3,814,300
3. Ottawa, ONâ€"Gatineau, QC: 1,158,300
4. Québec, QC: 723,300
5. Hamilton, ON: 716,200
6. London, ON: 465,700
7. Kitchener, ON: 463,600
8. St. Catharinesâ€"Niagara, ON: 396,800
9. Oshawa, ON: 344,400
10. Windsor, ON: 332,100
11. Sherbrooke, QC: 218,700
12. Sudbury, ON: 162,000
13. Kingston, ON: 155,000
14. Saguenay, QC: 152,100
15. Trois-Rivières, QC: 142,600
16. Thunder Bay, ON: 125,400

See also

• List of regions of Canada

References