Ottawa

This article is about the capital of Canada. For other uses, see Ottawa (disambiguation).

Ottawa
Federal capital city
City of Ottawa
Ville d'Ottawa (French)
Skyline of Downtown Ottawa
Centre Block on Parliament Hill
Château Laurier
Rideau Hall
National Gallery of Canada
Rideau Canal
Flag of Ottawa
Flag
Coat of arms of Ottawa
Coat of arms
Official logo of Ottawa
Logo
Nicknames: 
Motto(s): 
"Advance-Ottawa-En Avant"
Written in the two official languages.[4]
OpenStreetMap
Map
Location of Ottawa
Ottawa is located in Canada
Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is located in Ontario
Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is located in Southern Ontario
Ottawa
Ottawa
Coordinates: 45°25′29″N 75°41′42″W / 45.42472°N 75.69500°W / 45.42472; -75.69500 (Ottawa)[5]
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Established1826 as Bytown[6]
Incorporated1855 as City of Ottawa[6]
Amalgamated1 January 2001
Government
 • TypeSingle-tier municipality with a Mayor–council system
 • MayorMark Sutcliffe
 • City councilOttawa City Council
 • Federal
representation
List of MPs
 • Provincial
representation
List of MPPs
Area
[7][8][9]
2,790.31 km2 (1,077.34 sq mi)
 • Land2,778.10 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)
Population
 (2021)
1,017,449 (4th)
 • Density365/km2 (950/sq mi)
 • Urban
1,068,821
 • Urban density1,954/km2 (5,060/sq mi)
 • Metro
1,488,307 (4th)
 • Metro density185/km2 (480/sq mi)
 • Demonym[10][11]
Ottawan
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code span
K0A-K4C[4]
Area codes613, 343, 753
GDP (Ottawa–Gatineau CMA)CA$89.9 billion (2020)[12]
GDP per capita (Ottawa–Gatineau CMA)CA$60,414 (2020)
Websiteottawa.ca Edit this at Wikidata

Ottawa (/ˈɒtəwə/ ⓘ, /ˈɒtəwɑː/; 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, 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]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ Peter Hum (9 November 2009). "O-Town Originals". Ottawa Citizen. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Ottawa". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "City of Ottawa – Design C". Ottawa.ca. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  11. ^ "Rapport au / Report to". Ottawa.ca. 2011. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census Ottawa, [City Census subdivision], Ontario". Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "A Brief History of Bytown". Run Ottawa. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "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.