The Growth of the City series looks at the history of important world cities, charting their growth and changing fortunes from earliest times through to today. Using contemporary maps, paintings, etchings, woodcuts, and photographs, the series provides a visual appreciation of each city's growth. It also looks at the difficulties so many cities find in the way of prosperity - most often external forces in the form of military invasion or bombardment, but also the devastating natural killers: fire, flood, plague, or earthquake. Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario,making it the seat of the provincial Crown. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth-most populous municipality in North America, and the 46th most populous in the world. As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is considered a global city and one of the top financial cities in the world.