Capital city of Canada
Federal capital city in Ontario, Canada
Ottawa
City of OttawaVille d'Ottawa (French )
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Nicknames: Motto(s):
Show map of Southern Ontario Coordinates: 45°25′29″N 75°41′42″W / 45.42472°N 75.69500°W / 45.42472; -75.69500 (Ottawa ) [ 5] Country Canada Province Ontario Established 1826 as Bytown [ 6] Incorporated 1855 as City of Ottawa[ 6] Amalgamated 1 January 2001 • Type Single-tier municipality with a Mayor–council system • Mayor Mark Sutcliffe • City council Ottawa City Council • Federal representation • Provincial representation • Federal capital city 2,790.31 km2 (1,077.34 sq mi) • Land 2,778.10 km2 (1,072.63 sq mi) • Urban
520.82 km2 (201.09 sq mi) • Metro
6,767.41 km2 (2,612.91 sq mi) Elevation
70 m (230 ft) • Federal capital city 1,017,449 (4th ) • Density 365/km2 (950/sq mi) • Urban
1,068,821 • Urban density 1,954/km2 (5,060/sq mi) • Metro
1,488,307 (4th ) • Metro density 185/km2 (480/sq mi) • Demonym [ 10] [ 11]
Ottawan Time zone UTC−05:00 (EST ) • Summer (DST ) UTC−04:00 (EDT )Postal code span Area codes 613, 343, 753 GDP (Ottawa–Gatineau CMA ) CA$ 89.9 billion (2020)[ 12] GDP per capita (Ottawa–Gatineau CMA ) CA$ 60,414 (2020)Website ottawa .ca
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: [ɔtawɑ] ) is the capital city of Canada . It is located in the southern portion of the province of Ontario , at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River . Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec , and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR).[ 13] As of 2021,[update] Ottawa had a city population of 1,017,449 and a metropolitan population of 1,488,307, making it the fourth-largest city and fourth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.[ 14] [ 15]
Ottawa is the political centre of Canada and the headquarters of the federal government. The city houses numerous foreign embassies , key buildings, organizations, and institutions of Canada's government ; these include the Parliament of Canada , the Supreme Court , the residence of Canada's viceroy , and Office of the Prime Minister .[ 16]
Founded in 1826 as Bytown , and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855,[ 17] its original boundaries were expanded through numerous annexations and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and amalgamation in 2001. The municipal government of Ottawa is established and governed by the City of Ottawa Act of the Government of Ontario . It has an elected city council across 24 wards and a mayor elected city-wide.
Ottawa has the highest proportion of university-educated residents among Canadian cities[ 18] and is home to several colleges and universities, research and cultural institutions, including the University of Ottawa , Carleton University , Algonquin College , Collège La Cité , the National Arts Centre , the National Gallery of Canada ; and numerous national museums , monuments, and historic sites.[ 19] It is one of the most visited cities in Canada, with over 11 million visitors annually contributing more than $2.2B to the city's economy.[ 20] [ 21]
^ Kennedy, Ryan (8 December 2008). "A few blue and white things to be thankful for" . Metro International . Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2022 .
^ "Ottawa". Britannica Student Encyclopedia . Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 2014. ISBN 978-1-62513-172-0 . Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2015 .
^ Peter Hum (9 November 2009). "O-Town Originals" . Ottawa Citizen . Postmedia Network . Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015 .
^ a b Art Montague (2008). Ottawa Book of Everything (PDF) . MacIntyre Purcell Publishing. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2011 .
^ "Ottawa" . Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada .
^ a b Justin D. Edwards ; Douglas Ivison (2005). Downtown Canada: Writing Canadian Cities . University of Toronto Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-8020-8668-6 . Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2015 .
^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2011 censuses – 100% data" . Statistics Canada. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2010 .
^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and urban areas, 2006 and 2001 censuses – 100% data" . Statistics Canada. 5 November 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2011 .
^ "Population and dwelling counts, for census metropolitan areas, 2006 and 2011 censuses – 100% data" . Statistics Canada. 5 November 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2011 .
^ "City of Ottawa – Design C" . Ottawa.ca. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2011 .
^ "Rapport au / Report to" . Ottawa.ca. 2011. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2011 .
^ "Table 36-10-0468-01 Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by census metropolitan area (CMA) (x 1,000,000)" . Statistics Canada . 6 December 2023. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2024 .
^ "National Capital Act (R. S. C., 1985, c. N-4)" (PDF) . Department of Justice. 22 June 2011. p. 13 Schedule (Section 2) 'Description of National Capital Region'. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011 .
^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census Ottawa, [City Census subdivision], Ontario" . Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2021 .
^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres" . Statistics Canada . 9 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022 .
^ Bosc, Marc; Gagnon, André, eds. (2017). "Ottawa as the Seat of Government" . House of Commons Procedure and Practice (3rd ed.). Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2022 .
^ "A Brief History of Bytown" . Run Ottawa . Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021 .
^ "Is Ottawa Canada's smartest city? Capital edges Toronto, Calgary in university-educated population" . National Post . Postmedia News . Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2013 .
^ "Ottawa's Seven National Museums" . Ottawa Tourism . Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, Inc. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021 .
^ "Canada's third consecutive record-breaking year in tourism in 2019 a win for Ottawa" . City News . Rogers Sports & Media. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022 .
^ "Ottawa attracts more than 11 million visitors each year" . Ottawa Citizen . Post Media. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022 .