# Central Canada

Central Canada (French: Centre du Canada, sometimes the Central provinces) is a Canadian region consisting of Ontario and Quebec, the largest and most populous provinces of the country. 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.

## History

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.

## Geography

Ontario, Canada's fourth largest subdivision (after Nunavut, Quebec, and the Northwest Territories), had, at the 2021 Canadian census, a land area of 892,411.76 km$^2$ (344,562.11 sq mi) (10.15 per cent of Canada and the fifth largest after Nunavut, Quebec, the Northwest Territories, and British Columbia) and as of 2017, there was 177,390 km$^2$ (68,490 sq mi) (21.55 per cent of Canada and the second largest after Quebec) of fresh water, for a total area of 1,069,801.76 km$^2$ (413,052.77 sq mi) (11.13 per cent of Canada).
Quebec, Canada's second largest subdivision and largest province, had, at the 2021 Canadian census, a land area of 1,298,599.75 km (806,912.47 mi) (14.78 per cent of Canada and the second largest after Nunavut), and as of 2017, there was 183,890 km$^2$ (71,000 sq mi) (22.34 per cent and the largest in Canada) of fresh water, for a total area of 1,482,489.75 km$^2$ (572,392.49 sq mi) (15.42 per cent of Canada).
Together the two provinces have a land area of 2,191,011.51 km$^2$ (845,954.27 sq mi) (24.93 per cent), 361,280.00 km$^2$ (139,490.99 sq mi) (43.89 per cent) fresh water for a total area of 2,552,291.51 km$^2$ (985,445.26 sq mi) (26.55 per cent).
Although the region is called Central Canada the actual centre of Canada can be defined in multiple ways. The longitudinal centre of Canada is located just east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Highway 1 East, part of the Trans-Canada Highway. The latitudinal centre is at 62 degrees, 24 minutes north, meaning the geographic centre of Canada is located just south of Yathkyed Lake, Nunavut.

### Physical geography
#### Ontario

The thinly populated Canadian Shield, which dominates the northwestern and central portions of the province, comprises over half the land area of Ontario. Although this area mostly does not support agriculture, it is rich in minerals, partly covered by the Central and Midwestern Canadian Shield forests, and studded with lakes and rivers. Northern Ontario is subdivided into two sub-regions: Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario.
The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the extreme north and northeast are mainly swampy and sparsely forested.
Southern Ontario is further sub-divided into four sub-regions: Central Ontario (although not actually the province's geographic centre), Eastern Ontario, Golden Horseshoe and Southwestern Ontario (parts of which were formerly referred to as Western Ontario).
Despite the rarity of mountainous terrain in the province, there are large areas of uplands, particularly within the Canadian Shield which traverses the province from northwest to southeast and also above the Niagara Escarpment which crosses the south. The highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 metres (2,274 ft) above sea level in Temagami, Northeastern Ontario. In the south, elevations of over 500 m (1,640 ft) are surpassed near Collingwood, above the Blue Mountains in the Dundalk Highlands and in hilltops near the Madawaska River in Renfrew County.
The Carolinian forest zone covers most of the southwestern region of the province. The temperate and fertile Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Valley in the south is part of the Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests ecoregion where the forest has now been largely replaced by agriculture, industrial and urban development. A well-known geographic feature is Niagara Falls, part of the Niagara Escarpment. The Saint Lawrence Seaway allows navigation to and from the Atlantic Ocean as far inland as Thunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario. Northern Ontario covers approximately 87% of the province's surface area; conversely, Southern Ontario contains 94% of the population.

#### Quebec

Located in the eastern part of Canada, Quebec occupies a territory nearly three times the size of France or Texas. Most of Quebec is very sparsely populated. The most populous physiographic region is the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands. The combination of rich soils and the lowlands' relatively warm climate makes this valley the most prolific agricultural area of Quebec. The rural part of the landscape is divided into narrow rectangular tracts of land that extend from the river and date back to the seigneurial system.
Quebec's topography is very different from one region to another due to the varying composition of the ground, the climate, and the proximity to water. More than 95% of Quebec's territory, including the Labrador Peninsula, lies within the Canadian Shield. It is generally a quite flat and exposed mountainous terrain interspersed with higher points such as the Laurentian Mountains in southern Quebec, the Otish Mountains in central Quebec and the Torngat Mountains near Ungava Bay. While low and medium altitude peaks extend from western Quebec to the far north, high altitudes mountains emerge in the Capitale-Nationale region to the extreme east. Quebec's highest point at 1,652 metres (5,420 ft) is Mont d'Iberville, known in English as Mount Caubvick. In the Labrador Peninsula portion of the Shield, the far northern region of Nunavik includes the Ungava Peninsula and consists of flat Arctic tundra inhabited mostly by the Inuit. Further south is the Eastern Canadian Shield taiga ecoregion and the Central Canadian Shield forests. The Appalachian region has a narrow strip of ancient mountains along the southeastern border of Quebec.
Quebec has one of the world's largest reserves of fresh water, occupying 12% of its surface and representing 3% of the world's renewable fresh water. More than half a million lakes and 4,500 rivers empty into the Atlantic Ocean, through the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Arctic Ocean, by James, Hudson, and Ungava bays. The largest inland body of water is the Caniapiscau Reservoir; Lake Mistassini is the largest natural lake. The Saint Lawrence River has some of the world's largest sustaining inland Atlantic ports. Since 1959, the Saint Lawrence Seaway has provided a navigable link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.

## Population

Ontario and Quebec are the two most populous provinces in Canada, accounting for 61.43 per cent of Canada's population. As of the 2021 census conducted by Statistics Canada there were 22,725,775 people in the two provinces, and represented an increase of 5.1 per cent over the 2016 census figure of 21,612,855 people. The land area was 2,191,011.51 km$^2$ (845,954.27 sq mi) giving a population density of 10.4/km$^2$ (26.9/sq mi).
The median age of Ontario was 41.6, identical to Canada as a whole, and Quebec's population was slightly older at 43.2.
Population of visible minority, Indigenous, and others (2021 Canadian census) :
| | | Ontario | Ontario | Quebec | Quebec | Central Canada | Central Canada | Central Canada | Canada | Canada |
| Population group | Population group | Population | % of province | Population | % of province | Population | % of Central Canada | % of Canada | Population | % |
| Non-visible minority or Indigenous | Non-visible minority or Indigenous | 8,807,805 | 62.8% | 6,762,735 | 81.4% | 15,570,541 | 61.4% | 42.9% | 25,364,140 | 69.8% |
| Visible minority group | South Asian | 1,515,295 | 10.8% | 127,990 | 1.5% | 1,643,285 | 7.4% | 4.5% | 2,571,400 | 7.1% |
| Visible minority group | Chinese | 820,245 | 5.8% | 115,240 | 1.4% | 935,485 | 4.2% | 2.6% | 1,715,770 | 4.7% |
| Visible minority group | Black | 768,740 | 5.5% | 422,405 | 5.1% | 1,191,145 | 5.3% | 3.3% | 1,574,870 | 4.3% |
| Visible minority group | Filipino | 363,650 | 2.6% | 44,885 | 0.5% | 408,535 | 1.8% | 1.1% | 957,355 | 2.6% |
| Visible minority group | Arab | 284,215 | 2.0% | 280,075 | 3.4% | 564,290 | 2.5% | 1.6% | 694,015 | 1.9% |
| Visible minority group | Latin American | 249,190 | 1.8% | 172,925 | 2.1% | 422,115 | 1.9% | 1.2% | 580,235 | 1.6% |
| Visible minority group | Southeast Asian | 167,845 | 1.2% | 70,455 | 0.8% | 238,300 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 390,340 | 1.1% |
| Visible minority group | West Asian | 212,185 | 1.5% | 43,985 | 0.5% | 256,170 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 360,495 | 1.0% |
| Visible minority group | Korean | 99,425 | 0.7% | 10,360 | 0.1% | 109,785 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 218,140 | 0.6% |
| Visible minority group | Japanese | 31,420 | 0.2% | 5,305 | 0.1% | 36,725 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 98,890 | 0.3% |
| Visible minority group | Visible minority, n.i.e. | 124,120 | 0.9% | 12,150 | 0.1% | 136,270 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 331,805 | 0.9% |
| Visible minority group | Multiple visible minority | 181,025 | 1.3% | 34,960 | 0.4% | 215,985 | 1.0% | 0.6% | 172,885 | 0.5% |
| Total visible minority population | Total visible minority population | 4,817,360 | 34.3% | 1,340,735 | 16.1% | 6,158,095 | 27.6% | 17.0% | 9,639,205 | 26.5% |
| Indigenous peoples First Nations (North American Indian) | 251,030 | 1.8% | 116,550 | 1.4% | 367,580 | 1.6% | 1.0% | 1,048,405 | 2.9% |
| Indigenous peoples First Nations (North American Indian) | Métis | 134,615 | 1.0% | 61,010 | 0.7% | 195,625 | 0.9% | 0.5% | 624,220 | 1.7% |
| Indigenous peoples First Nations (North American Indian) | Inuk (Inuit) | 4,310 | 0.0% | 15,800 | 0.2% | 20,110 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 70,540 | 0.2% |
| Indigenous peoples First Nations (North American Indian) | Multiple Indigenous responses | 7,115 | 0.1% | 3,135 | 0.1% | 10,250 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 28,855 | 0.1% |
| Indigenous peoples First Nations (North American Indian) | Indigenous responses n.i.e. | 9,515 | 0.1% | 8,515 | 0.0% | 18,030 | 0.1% | 0.0% | 35,225 | 0.1% |
| Total Indigenous population | Total Indigenous population | 406,585 | 2.9% | 205,010 | 2.5% | 611,595 | 2.7% | 1.7% | 1,807,250 | 5.0% |
| Total population | Total population | 14,031,750 | 100.00% | 8,308,480 | 100.00% | 22,340,230 | 100.00% | 61.5% | 36328480 | 100.00% |
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, the national capital, Ottawa, and the National Capital Region.
As of the 2021 census Statistics Canada lists 24 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA) in Central Canada. They include Ottawa - Gatineau as well as Ottawa - Gatineau (Ontario part) and Ottawa - Gatineau (Quebec part). All CMAs in Quebec are located the southern part of the province. In Ontario, with the exception of Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury and Thunder Bay, which are in Northern Ontario, all CMAs are in Southern Ontario. The CMAs are listed here by population count:
Census Metropolitan Areas :
| Name | Province | Population | Land area | Density |
| Toronto | Ontario | 6,202,225 | 5,902.75 km$^2$ (2,279.06 sq mi) | 1,050.7/km$^2$ (2,721.3/sq mi) |
| Montreal | Quebec | 4,291,732 | 4,670.1 km$^2$ (1,803.1 sq mi) | 919.0/km$^2$ (2,380.2/sq mi) |
| Ottawa - Gatineau | Ontario | 1,488,307 | 8,046.99 km$^2$ (3,106.96 sq mi) | 185.0/km$^2$ (479.1/sq mi) |
| Ottawa - Gatineau (Ontario part) | Ontario | 1,135,014 | 4,665.16 km$^2$ (1,801.23 sq mi) | 243.3/km$^2$ (630.1/sq mi) |
| Quebec City | Quebec | 839,311 | 3,499.46 km$^2$ (1,351.15 sq mi) | 239.8/km$^2$ (621.1/sq mi) |
| Hamilton | Ontario | 785,184 | 1,373.15 km$^2$ (530.18 sq mi) | 571.8/km$^2$ (1,481.0/sq mi) |
| Kitchener - Cambridge – Waterloo | Ontario | 575,847 | 1,092.33 km$^2$ (421.75 sq mi) | 527.2/km$^2$ (1,365.4/sq mi) |
| London | Ontario | 543,551 | 2,661.48 km$^2$ (1,027.60 sq mi) | 204.2/km$^2$ (528.9/sq mi) |
| St. Catharines - Niagara | Ontario | 433,604 | 1,397.09 km$^2$ (539.42 sq mi) | 310.4/km$^2$ (803.9/sq mi) |
| Windsor | Ontario | 422,630 | 1,803.17 km$^2$ (696.21 sq mi) | 234.4/km$^2$ (607.1/sq mi) |
| Oshawa | Ontario | 415,311 | 903.25 km$^2$ (348.75 sq mi) | 459.8/km$^2$ (1,190.9/sq mi) |
| Ottawa – Gatineau (Quebec part) | Quebec | 353,293 | 3,381.83 km$^2$ (1,305.73 sq mi) | 104.5/km$^2$ (270.7/sq mi) |
| Sherbrooke | Quebec | 227,398 | 1,458.1 km$^2$ (563.0 sq mi) | 156.0/km$^2$ (404.0/sq mi) |
| Barrie | Ontario | 212,856 | 897.26 km$^2$ (346.43 sq mi) | 237.2/km$^2$ (614.3/sq mi) |
| Kingston | Ontario | 172,546 | 1,919.17 km$^2$ (741.00 sq mi) | 89.9/km$^2$ (232.8/sq mi) |
| Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury | Ontario | 170,605 | 4,187.4 km$^2$ (1,616.8 sq mi) | 40.7/km$^2$ (105.4/sq mi) |
| Guelph | Ontario | 165,588 | 595.08 km$^2$ (229.76 sq mi) | 278.3/km$^2$ (720.8/sq mi) |
| Saguenay | Quebec | 161,567 | 3,133.53 km$^2$ (1,209.86 sq mi) | 51.6/km$^2$ (133.6/sq mi) |
| Trois-Rivières | Quebec | 161,489 | 1,038.64 km$^2$ (401.02 sq mi) | 155.5/km$^2$ (402.7/sq mi) |
| Brantford | Ontario | 144,162 | 1,074.0 km$^2$ (414.7 sq mi) | 134.2/km$^2$ (347.6/sq mi) |
| Peterborough | Ontario | 128,624 | 1,508.44 km$^2$ (582.41 sq mi) | 85.3/km$^2$ (220.9/sq mi) |
| Thunder Bay | Ontario | 123,258 | 2,550.79 km$^2$ (984.87 sq mi) | 48.3/km$^2$ (125.1/sq mi) |
| Belleville - Quinte West | Ontario | 111,184 | 1,337.5 km$^2$ (516.4 sq mi) | 83.1/km$^2$ (215.2/sq mi) |
| Drummondville | Quebec | 101,610 | 1,094.36 km$^2$ (422.53 sq mi) | 92.8/km$^2$ (240.4/sq mi) |