Thunder Bay, created in 1970 by the amalgamation of the cities of Fort William and Port Arthur and the adjacent townships of Neebing and McIntyre, is located in the northwest part of Ontario on the west shore of the LAKE SUPERIOR bay of the same name. The Port of Thunder Bay is the western terminus in Canada of the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway. Small patches of agricultural land occur adjacent to the city, but the community's physical and economic hinterland is dominated by the rocks, lakes and forests of the Canadian SHIELD. Surrounding communities depend upon tourism or some form of resource extraction and look to Thunder Bay for a wide variety of services.