Physical Characteristics
Physical characteristics include nearby mountains like the Blue Mountain ski area and rivers such as the Don River and Humber River. Toronto has forests such as the Urban Forest, beaches such as the Cherry Beach, Centre Island Beach, and Bluffer's Beach, as well as Lake Ontario. Toronto has an elevation of 252 ft above sea level. Toronto was built where there were originally nine rivers flowing into Lake Ontario and so there were many ravines. Toronto has a semi-continental climate so it has a warm, humid summer and a cold winter. However, since it is close to Lake Ontario, the weather doesn't vary as much as some other eastern cities. There are many animals like rodents, pigeons, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, foxes, coyotes, rabbits, bats, and opossums.
Human Characteristics
In 2011, Toronto had a population of over 2.6 million. Earlier its dominant languages were only English and French but now Chinese is also an important language in Toronto . The main religion is Christianity. A speciality of Toronto's cuisine is the veal sandwich. Over a 100 years ago when Toronto was still a small town, people mostly traveled on foot or by horses but now bus and subway are the main methods of public transportation; cars and bicycles are still used in the city.