Toronto stands on the northern shore of Lake Ontario and the view of the city across the water is stunning and unmistakable - the CN Tower, thrusting skyward near the water's edge, was until quite recently the world's tallest tower. Framing it is a glimmering collection of skyscrapers, which give way to a dense city centre with pleasant, leafy residential areas and parks, notably along the ravines that cut through the city.

The capital of the Province of Ontario, Toronto is Canada's largest city and the fifth largest in North America. A dominant force in the business and economy of the nation, it is also the cultural centre of English-speaking Canada.

Initially claimed by the French in the 18th century, it was not until the American Revolution caused hordes of United Empire Loyalists (loyal to the British) to escape to Toronto that the city became an established settlement. Then known as York, the town was exceedingly British in character, functioning as the administrative capital of English-speaking Upper Canada and becoming a thriving manufacturing centre by the 19th century. In 1834, the city was renamed Toronto, a Huron Indian word meaning ‘meeting place'.

The Toronto of the 19th and early 20th centuries was a law-abiding city, where rules were made and rarely broken and where the overriding concern was making money. As such, Toronto gained a reputation as a conservative, boring enclave of Protestantism, a reputation that still dogs it to some extent today. Older residents can remember the days when the city would come to a standstill on Sundays and only a handful of the very best restaurants served wine.

Towards the end of the 1950s, a surge in the arrival of immigrants infused Toronto with new foods, new languages and, most importantly, new attitudes. Italians, Portuguese and Eastern Europeans arrived first, followed by immigrants from the Caribbean, Asia and India. They settled into what would become the city's great ethnic neighbourhoods - Greektown, Little Italy and Chinatown.

Toronto gradually developed a multiethnic North American character - today, one in two of the city's residents was born outside Canada. It largely shrugged off its colonial identity, although vestiges still remain, such as the English-style pubs and the ingrained habit among conservative clubs and societies of toasting the Queen before eating.

There is a similar juxtaposition in the architecture of the city itself; at first glance, Toronto does not appear all that different from any other large American city, albeit a clean one, although closer inspection reveals preserved Victorian and Edwardian buildings and a profusion of neighbourhood pubs.

The Toronto of today is a lively, cultured place with hot, humid summers and cold, damp winters. It is the most economically important city in Canada, the centre of finance, media and services, and home to more corporate head offices than any other.

By night, its people indulge themselves at the city's numerous restaurants, bars and clubs, or at the symphony, opera and theatre. More than anything, however, Toronto is defined by its citizenry - friendly, efficient and one of the most multicultural in the world.