Toronto is a city in Canada.
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario . Toronto is the centre of the Greater Toronto Area ( GTA ) , the most populous metropolitan area in Canada , and anchors the Golden Horseshoe , a heavily urbanized region that is home to 9.2 million people , or over 26 % of the population of Canada . The city itself is situated on the southern terminus of an ancient Aboriginal trail leading north to Lake Simcoe , used by the Wyandot , Iroquois , and the Mississauga . Located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario , Toronto is situated on a broad sloping plateau intersected by an extensive network of rivers , deep ravines , and urban forest , with 140 independently unique and clearly defined official neighbourhoods making up the city .