Twinned with Milan since 30 June 2003
Mayor: John Tory
Population: 2.900.000 inhabitants
Historically, Toronto was a hunting area for indigenous people.
Its name comes from “Tkaronto”, which means “Place in the water where trees stand”. It is said to refer to the wooden poles used by the Haudenosaunee and Huron-Wendat people as fishing dams in local river systems.
The city has grown at a rapid pace. After the Second World War it experienced an immigration boom due to large flows from Italy, Greece, England and Eastern Europe.
Large Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese and other Asian communities later arrived; the result is one of the most ethnically diverse mixes in the world and one of the most cosmopolitan realities in North America, whose motto is: "Diversity is our strength".
Today Toronto is characterized as the fourth largest city in all of North America, it is the economic capital of the country (18% of Canada's GDP), a leader in technology, finance, cinema, music, culture and innovation, and is at the top of the main international rankings in terms of attractiveness of investments promoted by the government, residents and businesses.
It holds great fertile ground for the creation of an ecosystem devoted to the development and promotion of highly innovative and technological companies; it is one of the most livable metropolises in the world.
