right|thumb|250px|Central Canada, defined politically.Central Canada (sometimes the
Central provinces) is a region consisting of
Canada's two largest and most populous
provinces:
Ontario and
Quebec. Due to their high populations, Ontario and Quebec have traditionally held a significant amount of political power in Canada, leading to some amount of resentment from other regions of the country. Before
Confederation, the term 'Canada' specifically referred to Central Canada. Today, the term "Central Canada" is less often used than the names of the individual provinces.
Geography
Central Canada is named as such due to the fact that it has 4 provinces on either side of it. Ontario and Quebec being the two central provinces.
Despite its name, Central Canada is located entirely in the eastern half of the country, with Quebec extending further east than every province, except for
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Longitudinally, the middle of Canada is a meridian passing just east of
Winnipeg,
Manitoba; the
geographic centre of Canada is located near
Arviat, Nunavut. They are called central Canada because the provinces on either side of it are often grouped together as distinct regions historically and politically.
Before
Confederation, the term 'Canada' specifically referred to Central Canada.
Southern Ontario was once called
Upper Canada and later
Canada West, and southern Quebec
Lower Canada and later
Canada East. Both were made part of the
United Province of Canada in 1841.
Population
Combined, the two provinces have approximately 20 million inhabitants which represents 62% of Canada's population. They are represented in the
Canadian House of Commons by 181 Members of Parliament (Ontario: 106, Quebec: 75) out of a total of 308. The southern portions of the two provinces — particularly the
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor — are the most urbanized and industrialized areas of Canada, containing the country's two largest cities,
Toronto and
Montreal, and the national capital,
Ottawa.
Census Metropolitan Areas, 2007 population estimates
