Hamilton (Ontario) - Geography.

Hamilton (Ontario) - Geography. Hamilton (Ontario), city in the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, southwestern Ontario, Canada, a busy port at the western extremity of Lake Ontario. Hamilton's port is situated on Hamilton Harbour, one of the largest landlocked harbors of the Great Lakes. The city is an important commercial and manufacturing center; nearby is a noted fruit-growing region. Hamilton is Canada's leading producer of steel. Other major products include electrical equipment, metal items, processed food, machinery, chemicals, medical supplies, and clothing. The city also serves as a financial and insurance center. Educational institutions include McMaster University (1887) and Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology (1967). The city is the site of the Art Gallery of Hamilton (1914); Dundurn Castle (built 1830s, restored 1967), now housing a museum in part commemorating the Canadian political leader Sir Allan Napier MacNab; the Canadian Football Hall of Fame; the Royal Botanical Gardens (1941); Hamilton Place, a center for the performing arts; the Copps Coliseum Trade Centre Arena; and DuMaurier Arts Centre (Theatre Aquarius). The Tiger-Cats, a team of the professional Canadian Football League, are based at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton. French explorers visited the area that is now Hamilton in the 1600s. The first permanent settlement here was established in 1778 with the arrival of a group of United Empire Loyalists from the United States. It subsequently was named for George Hamilton, who laid out the community in 1813. The growth of the settlement was spurred by the completion in about 1830 of the Burlington Canal, which linked Hamilton Harbour to Lake Ontario, and by the coming of the railroad in the 1850s. Hamilton was incorporated as a city in 1846. Population 318,499 (1991); 490,268 (2001). Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.