The Regional Municipality of Niagara (2001 population 410,574), also known as Niagara Region, or (colloquially) Regional Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising 12 municipalities located in southern Ontario in Canada.

The region occupies most of the Niagara Peninsula. Its eastern boundary is the Niagara River, which is also the border with the United States. It is bounded on the north by Lake Ontario and on the south by Lake Erie.

The most important agricultural enterprise in Niagara is viticulture, or wine-growing. Canadian wines outscored the very best French wine at the historic St. Catharines Wine Tasting of 2005. The region's Wine Country is one of the major tourist attractions, along with the Shaw Festival and the internationally-renowned Niagara Falls.

Geography

• Niagara Falls
• Port Colborne
• St. Catharines
• Thorold
• Welland

Towns

• Fort Erie
• Grimsby
• Lincoln
• Niagara-on-the-Lake
• Pelham

Townships

• Wainfleet
• West Lincoln

In total, the region has an area of 1850 square kilometres. The regional seat is in Thorold, where the Niagara Regional Council meets.

Demographics

Racial Groups

• White: 349,390 or 95.9%
• Black: 2,990 or 0.8%
• mixed: 2,665 or 0.7%
• Chinese: 2,345 or 0.6%
• Asian: 2,320 or 0.6%
• (based on single responses)

Religious Profile

• 43.2% Protestant
• 36.4% Roman Catholic
• 3.8% other Christian
• 0.9% Muslim
• 14.6% non-religious

Top Ten Largest Ethnicities

• Canadian - 121,660 (those who are most likely of British/French origin whose ancestors have been in Canada for many generations)
• English - 108,425
• Scottish - 66,385
• Irish - 56,640
• German - 49,435
• French - 48,155
• Italian - 44,645
• Dutch - 23,805
• Ukrainian - 16,735
• Polish - 16,295

Attractions

Airports

• St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Welland/Niagara Central Airport (Welland)
• Niagara Falls/Niagara South Airport (Niagara Falls)

Education

• Brock University (St. Catharines)
• Niagara College (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls, Welland)

History and Trails

• Fort George National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Fort Mississauga National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Greater Niagara Circle Route
• Navy Island National Historic Site (Niagara Falls)
• Niagara Parkway
• Niagara Wine Route
• Queenston Heights National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Waterfront Trial
• Welland Canal Parkway

Other

• Clifton Hill (Niagara Falls)
• Lundy's Lane Tourist District (Niagara Falls)
• Niagara Olde Town (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Welland Canal Centre (St. Catharines)
• Wet and Wild (Lincoln)

Protected areas

• Short Hills Provincial Park
• Wainfleet Bog Provincial Wildlife Preserve
• Ball's Falls Conservation Area
• Chippawa Creek Conservation Area
• Long Beach Conservation Area
• Morgan's Point Conservation Area
• Cave Springs Conservation Area
• St. John's Conservation Area
• Rockway Conservation Area
• Louth Conservation Area
• Mountainview Conservation Area
• Beamer Memorial Conservation Area
• Woodend Conservation Area
• Woolverton Conservation Area
• Wainfleet Wetlands
• Humberstone & Willoughby Wetlands
• Mud Lake Wetlands
• E.C. Brown Conservation Area
• United Empire Loyalist Conservation Area
• Port Davidson Weir Conservation Area
• Sugar Bush Conservation Area
• Stevensville Conservation Area
• Virgil Dams Conservation Area
• Happy Rolph's Bird Sancuary

Highways

400-series expressways

• Highway 405
• Highway 406
• Highway 420
• Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)
• Mid-Peninsula Highway (proposed)

Other highways

• Highway 3
• Highway 20
• Highway 58
• Highway 140

Surrounding census divisions

• Hamilton, Ontario
• Haldimand County, Ontario
• Niagara County, New York
• Erie County, New York

External links

• The Regional Municipality of Niagara
• Information on the historic bridges of the Niagara Region, including some bridges of the Welland Canal

Niagara Region, Ontario

Region Niagara | Municipalidade Regional de Niagara