Claim: There are people in Ontario.

Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario ; the other primary region being Southern Ontario . The geographic region lies north of Lake Huron -LRB- including Georgian Bay -RRB- , the French River , Lake Nipissing , and the Mattawa River , while the administrative region has several boundaries further south that vary according to federal and provincial government policies and requirements , such as a part of Nipissing District that lies south of the Mattawa River . Ontario government departments and agencies such as the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation define Northern Ontario as all areas north of , and including , the districts of Parry Sound and Nipissing .   The geographic region has a land area of 802,000 km2 -LRB- 310,000 mi2 -RRB- and constitutes 87 per cent of the land area of Ontario , but with just 730,000 people it contains only about six per cent of the province 's population . Most of Northern Ontario is situated on the Canadian Shield , a vast rocky plateau . The climate is characterized by extremes of temperature , extremely cold in winter and hot in summer . The principal industries are mining , forestry , and hydroelectricity .   For some purposes , Northern Ontario is further subdivided into Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario . When the region is divided in this way , the three westernmost districts -LRB- Rainy River , Kenora and Thunder Bay -RRB- constitute `` Northwestern Ontario '' and the other districts constitute `` Northeastern Ontario . '' Northeastern Ontario contains two thirds of Northern Ontario 's population .   In the early 20th century , Northern Ontario was often called `` New Ontario '' , although this name fell into disuse because of its colonial connotations . -LRB- In French , however , the region may still be referred to as Nouvel Ontario , although le Nord de l'Ontario and Ontario-Nord are also used . -RRB-