About Toronto

 1. Listen to the About Cities podcast:
This podcast will provide you with the essential information you need in order to have a base knowledge about Toronto's location, history, area, population and density, language and some landmarks of the City of Toronto before you visit. Start with Part 1 and then Part 2 below.

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City Identity Card:

1. LOCATION:
Toronto is located in the southeastern part of Canada, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. It is the capital city of the province of Ontario and sits in a broad sloping plateau intersected by an extensive network of rivers, deep ravines, and urban forest.
2. GEOGRAPHIC BORDERS:
The city is bordered by Lake Ontario to the south, the Humber River to the west, the Rouge River to the east, and Steeles Avenue to the north. Its location on Lake Ontario provides a significant boundary and influences its climate and local ecosystem.
3. SIGNIFICANCE IN HISTORY:
Toronto is known for its rich history of trade and cultural exchange. Originally known as "York" during the late 18th century, Toronto became an important trading post. Its strategic location and resources led to rapid growth, becoming the capital of Ontario in 1867. Today, it is Canada's largest city and a global hub for business, finance, arts, and culture.
4. AREA:
Toronto covers an area of approximately 630 square kilometers (243 square miles), making it one of the largest cities in Canada by area.
5. POPULATION AND DENSITY:
As of the latest estimates in 2023, Toronto has a population of over 2.9 million people, making it the most populous city in Canada. It is known for its high population density in the downtown area.
6. LANGUAGE:
English is the primary language spoken, with a significant portion of the population fluent in French as well as many other languages due to its multicultural population.
7. LANDMARKS:
CN Tower
Royal Ontario Museum
Art Gallery of Ontario
Toronto Islands
Distillery Historic District
8. ECONOMY:
Toronto is the financial capital of Canada, with its economy driven by banking, finance, telecommunications, and media. It is also a hub for technology and innovation, often referred to as "Silicon Valley North."
9. GASTRONOMY:
Toronto is renowned for its diverse and international cuisine, reflecting its multicultural population. Popular foods include:
1. Poutine
2. Butter chicken
3. Sushi
4. Peameal bacon sandwich
5. Dim sum
Drinks:
1. Craft beers from local breweries
2. Ice wine
3. Canadian whiskey
4. Tim Hortons coffee
Desserts:
1. Butter tarts
2. BeaverTails
3. Nanaimo bars
4. Maple syrup desserts
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10. FLAG AND LOGO:
Toronto's flag features a blue background with a white central disc displaying the silhouette of the Toronto City Hall. The logo of the city also includes the silhouettes of the City Hall buildings.

​Transcription of the episode:

Part 1:
(0:03) Hi, welcome to the third episode of About Cities. 
(0:07) I really hope you enjoyed and learned something from the previous episodes, 
(0:12) because I am definitely learning on this journey with you as well. 
(0:16) In this episode, we'll be learning about the city that has become my second home after Damascus, 
(0:23) the city where I've spent the past 10 years of my life, the city of Toronto.
(0:33) Let's start with the geographical location. 
(0:37) Toronto is Canada's largest city, and it is the capital of the province of Ontario. 
(0:43) It is located in the southeastern part of the province,
(0:47) situated along the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario.
(0:52) The approximate geographical size of Toronto is 700 square kilometers. 
(0:57) So if we compare it with Damascus area, Damascus was 105 square kilometers. 
(1:06) So Toronto is basically seven times the size of Damascus.
(1:12) Its boundaries are defined by both natural features and municipal boundaries, 
(1:19) and they are as follows. 
​(1:21) The north side of Toronto is bordered by Steeles Avenue. 
(1:26) The south is bordered by the waterfront on Lake Ontario.
(1:33) The eastern border is defined by the Scarborough Bluffs. 
(1:38) And from the west, we have the Etobicoke Creek and the city of Mississauga. 
(1:45) It's worth it to mention that the closest American city to the city of Toronto is Buffalo, 
(1:52) and the closest borders is about one and a half to two hours drive from downtown Toronto, 
(2:01) of course, depending on the traffic.(2:04) You can also drive east to Montreal, and the drive time takes about five to six hours. 
(2:11) You can drive from Toronto to Ottawa, and that takes four and a half hours of driving. 
(2:19) You can also drive to New York City, and that drive takes around eight to nine hours, 
(2:27) but I highly recommend that route because it's beautiful.
(2:31) The population of Toronto was recorded at approximately 2.8 million people in 2021, 
(2:41) making it the fourth most popular city in North America. 
(2:45) And the density is about 4,300 persons per square kilometre. 
(2:52) The official language spoken in Toronto and Ontario is English,
(2:59) but under the Official Languages Act of 1969, 
(3:04) both English and French have official status throughout Canada 
(3:09) in the federal government services and most courts.
(3:13) And that's why you hear French a lot, 
(3:18) in addition to some other languages that are spoken in Toronto by many people who live there 
(3:25) due to the diverse backgrounds of the people who immigrate to Canada.
(3:31) And those languages include Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, and Spanish, 
(3:36) based on the census that was done in 2021. 
(3:41) The flag of Toronto was designed by Renato de Santos 
(3:45) and was adopted in 1999 in its current form.
(3:50) It includes the white outline of the two towers of the new City Hall buildings 
(3:55) on a blue background with a red maple leaf at the bottom. 
(4:00) The logo of the city also includes the silhouettes of the City Hall buildings, 
(4:07) and the motto is Diversity, Our Strength. 
(4:12) There's another slogan that I found that says, 
(4:15) Toronto, you belong here.
(4:18) I'm not sure which one is currently being used, 
(4:21) but I kind of prefer the second one, 
(4:24) because it really portrays how it feels to actually live in Toronto. 
(4:29) You can immediately feel that the city is really welcoming. 
(4:34) Now, about the origin of the name of Toronto, 
(4:38) it is derived apparently from the Mohawk word Tkaronto, 
(4:43) meaning where there are trees standing in the water.
(4:47) It was historically used to refer to the channel of water connecting Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. 
(4:57) We've reached the end of our 5-minute learning session and episode. 
(5:02) I promised to keep them short, 
(5:05) so I'll stop here and we'll continue about Toronto in the next episode.
​(5:11) Hope you enjoy it!

Part 2:
(0:00) Hi, welcome to the fourth episode of About Cities. 
(0:08) In this episode, we'll continue our journey exploring the city of Toronto. 
(0:18) Continuing from where we left off with the name of Toronto, as you may already know, 
(0:24) there are many ways to say the name of Toronto.
(0:27) I say it Toronto, but most people living in Toronto and coming from Toronto would say 
(0:34) Toronto. (0:35) So just a heads up if you're planning to visit. 
(0:39) And also there are many nicknames for the city.
(0:43) I will name a few because they've become really famous in the recent years. 
(0:49) I'm sure you're familiar with the six, as Drake likes to call it, T.O., hog town, the 
(0:56) big smoke, and Queen City, referring to Queen Street, which is one of my favorite streets (1:05) in the city. 
(1:07) Now let's get a brief overview of Toronto's history.
(1:10) We can depict a lot of the history of Toronto in the land acknowledgement that the city 
(1:16) makes, which states that it is on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas 
(1:25) of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, 
(1:33) and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. 
(1:38) This means, and reflect on the fact that Toronto has been inhabited by the indigenous people 
(1:46) for the past 10,000 years, before the European settlers started arriving there. 
(1:52) And among the first Europeans to arrive in Toronto area were the French explorer Etienne 
(2:01) Brulé and Samuel de Champlain, who established trade and cultural connections there.
(2:08) In the 1790s, the British began to settle Toronto and built the garrison, which became 
(2:15) Fort York, at the entrance to Toronto Harbour. (2:18) The British who controlled Canada established the town of York in 1793 on the northwestern 
(2:26) shore of Lake Ontario. (2:27) It became then the capital of Upper Canada in 1796.
(2:32) But during the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain, York was captured and 
(2:39) burned by the American forces. (2:42) After the war, the city was rebuilt and continued to grow. 
(2:46) And in 1834, York was officially incorporated as the City of Toronto.
(2:52) The mid-19th century saw a significant wave of immigration, including the Irish immigrants 
(3:01) fleeing the Great Famine and African-American refugees escaping slavery in the United States 
(3:09) via the Underground Railroad. 
(3:12) In the 20th century, Toronto underwent some transformative changes, emerging as a key 
(3:19) economic, cultural and political centre in Canada. 
(3:23) The city attracted so many immigrants from around the world, fostering a diverse and 
(3:29) multicultural population, making it one of the most diverse cities in the globe.(3:36) I've witnessed the evolution of the skyline of Toronto in the past 10 years, and if you (3:44) look at the before and after photos, you would be shocked. 
(3:51) And Toronto has three iconic sports teams that have significantly contributed to the 
(3:58) essence of the city, starting with the Toronto Raptors, who won the NBA championship in 
(4:06) 2019, the Toronto Blue Jays, holders of two World Series titles in baseball, and (4:14) the Toronto Maple Leafs in hockey. 
(4:17) Now let's move to the fun stuff, the top 5 foods to try in Toronto.
(4:22) In Toronto, you can basically try every cuisine because of the diverse nature of this city. 
(4:29) But a must try, in my opinion, is the poutine, the butter tarts, the pancakes with maple 
(4:36) syrup, beaver tails, and of course, the pea meal bacon sandwich from the St. Lawrence 
(4:44) market. (4:46) Now if you're planning to visit the city, I would recommend some famous landmarks, starting 
(4:54) with the CN Tower, the most famous landmark in Toronto, which you can find on every postal (5:01) card.
(5:02) I highly recommend visiting it and going up around sunset time so that you can see the 
(5:09) city both in daylight and at night, because it's really amazing. (5:14) And you have the option to also dine there in the 360 rotating restaurant to experience 
(5:21) the city from different angles. 
(5:25) You have to also visit Dundas Square, which is the mini Times Square, and Nathan Phillips 
(5:30) Square, which includes the Toronto sign, and continue walking along Queen Street and then 
​(5:36) party in the King West area in downtown.(5:41) Another famous landmark to visit is Casa Loma, which is a historic castle and museum with 
(5:48) great interiors. (5:50) If you have extra time or if you live in Toronto, I recommend doing the escape game they have 
(5:56) there. (5:57) It's pretty fun.(6:00) At the end, if you're into museums, then you have multiple options, but my favorites are 
(6:04) the ROM and the AGO, as well as the Aga Khan Museum, which is newer but a little bit outside 
(6:13) the city center. (6:15) And for walks, I would highly recommend walking in the Distillery District, exploring that 
(6:22) area, which was originally the site of the Gooderham and Wurtz Distillery, once the 
(6:29) largest distillery in the British Empire, and also exploring the waterfront. 
(6:36) We've reached the end of our episode about Toronto.
(6:40) I hope you enjoyed it and you learned something new about this beautiful city. 
(6:45) And hope to see you in the next episode covering a new different city.​