Marta Edari, age 13, of Whitby, Ont., Canada for her question:

How did Ontario get its name?

The name Ontario is borrowed from.the Iroquois language but its original meaning is uncertain. It may have meant "the beautiful lake" or "near the water" or "the high cliffs." if this last meaning is the right one, the original iroquois word may have referred to those steep cliffs down which plunge the thundering falls of niagara.

The beautiful lake was called Ontario while the territory around it was still known as Canada west. On july 1, 1867, the first dominion day, canada west became a province and took its name from lovely Lake Ontario. And what it means or how the name originated does not matter. For the province of Ontario is near the waters of one of the world's most beautiful lakes and one of its high cliffs is the sturdy shoulder of one of the world's greatest waterfalls.