Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,731,571 in 2016, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as a whole had a 2016 population of 6,417,516. The city covers an area of 630.20 square kilometres (243.32 sq mi) and comprises six districts – East York, Etobicoke, North York, Old Toronto, Scarborough and York – which, were amalgamated to form Toronto’s present boundaries in 1998. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of 9,245,438 people (as of 2016) surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.