Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the capital of the Canadian province of Ontario, an international center for business, finance, arts, sport and culture, and one of the world's most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities. For more than 10 000 years, indigenous people have walked and lived in the Toronto area, which lies on a broad, sloping plateau, interspersed with rivers, deep ravines and urban forests. The city is a major center for music, theatre, film and television. More than 43 million tourists are attracted each year by its diverse cultural institutions, including numerous museums and galleries, festivals and public events, entertainment districts, national historic sites and sporting activities. Toronto is famous for its many skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, especially the CN Tower, the tallest freestanding structure outside of Asia. The city comprises a mosaic of ecosystems, including forests, rivers, streams and wetlands, which allow it to sustain a great diversity of wildlife. Around 90 per cent of the city's animals live in Toronto's ravine system. The ravine system, streams and rivers in the city are corridors that allow wildlife to move from one area of the city to another. While most of Toronto's animals live in the ravine system, many are also found in the city's urban environment and parks. According to the City of Toronto, there are 24 species of amphibians and reptiles, 38 species of mammals, more than 410 species of birds and many species of insects living in the city.