Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It stands on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR). As of 2016, Ottawa had a city population of 934,243 and a metropolitan population of 1,323,783 making it the fourth-largest city and the fifth-largest CMA in Canada. In June 2019, the City of Ottawa estimated it had surpassed a population of a million.

Founded in 1826 as Bytown, and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855, the city has evolved into the political centre of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous annexations and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area. The city name "Ottawa" was chosen in reference to the Ottawa River, the name of which is derived from the Algonquin Odawa, meaning "to trade".
 

• Ottawa has the most educated population among Canadian cities
• The name Ottawa comes from the Algonquin word adawe – which means to trade
• The average annual snowfall in Ottawa is 236 centimetres (92.8 inches)
• Ottawa receives an average of 2061 hours of bright sunshine a year
• About 25% of Ottawa residents were born outside of Canada
• Nearly half the population is under the age of 35 – making it one of the youngest cities in the country
• Ottawa is the fourth cleanest city out of 300 major cities ranked around the world according to Forbes
   

The City of Ottawa is a single-tier municipality, meaning it is in itself a census division and has no county or regional municipality government above it. As a single-tier municipality, Ottawa has responsibility for all municipal services, including fire, emergency medical services, police, parks, roads, sidewalks, public transit, drinking water, storm water, sanitary sewage and solid waste. Perhaps the safest areas for the Liberals are the ones dominated by Francophones, especially in Vanier and central Gloucester.Central Ottawa is usually more left-leaning, and the New Democratic Party have won ridings there. Some of Ottawa's suburbs are swing areas, notably central Nepean and, despite its francophone population, Orléans.The southern and western parts of the old city of Ottawa are generally moderate and swing to the Conservative Party. The farther one goes outside the city centre like to Kanata and Barrhaven and rural areas, the voters tend to be increasingly conservative, both fiscally and socially. Rural parts of the former township of Cumberland, with a large number of Francophones, traditionally support the Liberal Party, though their support has recently weakenedAt present, Ottawa is host to 130 embassies.A further 49 countries accredit their embassies and missions in the United States to Canada.

The federal government is Ottawa’s major employer. A large number of jobs are also provided by the technology sector; a number of telecommunications, software, defense and security, biotechnology, and wireless companies are located in the capital region. Many commercial and financial associations as well as embassies and trade groups have their headquarters or offices in the city.

As of 2015, the region of Ottawa-Gatineau has the sixth highest total household income of all Canadian metropolitan areas .The median household income after taxes is $73,745 which is higher than the national median of $61,348.The unemployment rate in Ottawa in 2016 was 7.2%, lower than the national rate of 7.7%. In 2019 Mercer ranks Ottawa with the third highest quality of living of any Canadian city, and 19th highest in the world. It is also rated the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world.Ottawa's primary employers are the Public Service of Canada and the high-tech industry, although tourism and healthcare also represent increasingly sizeable economic activities. The Federal government is the city's largest employer, employing over 110,000 individuals from the National Capital region.The national headquarters for many federal departments are in Ottawa, particularly throughout Centretown and in the Terrasses de la Chaudière and Place du Portage complexes in Hull. During the summer, the city hosts the Ceremonial Guard, which performs functions such as the Changing the Guard.As the national capital of Canada, tourism is an important part of Ottawa's economy, particularly after the 150th anniversary of Canada which was centred in Ottawa. The lead-up to the festivities saw much investment in civic infrastructure, upgrades to tourist infrastructure and increases in national cultural attractions. The National Capital Region annually attracts an estimated 7.3 million tourists, who spend about 1.18 billion dollars.In addition to the economic activities that come with being the national capital, Ottawa is an important technology centre; in 2015, its 1800 companies employed approximately 63,400 people.The concentration of companies in this industry earned the city the nickname of «Silicon Valley North».Most of these companies specialize in telecommunications, software development and environmental technology. The «tech sector» was doing particularly well in 2015/2016.Another major employer is the health sector, which employs over 18,000 people.Four active general hospitals are in the Ottawa area: Queensway Carleton Hospital, The Ottawa Hospital, Montfort Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Several specialized hospital facilities are also present, such as the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.Nordion, i-Stat and the National Research Council of Canada and OHRI are part of the growing life science sector.usiness, finance, administration, and sales and service rank high among types of occupations.Approximately ten percent of Ottawa's GDP is derived from finance, insurance and real estate whereas employment in goods-producing industries is only half the national average.The City of Ottawa is the second largest employer with over 15,000 employees.In 2006, Ottawa experienced an increase of 40,000 jobs over 2001 with a five-year average growth that was relatively slower than in the late 1990s. While the number of employees in the federal government stagnated, the high-technology industry grew by 2.4%.
 

Influenced by government structures, much of the city's architecture tends to be formalistic and functional; however, the city is also marked by Romantic and Picturesque styles of architecture such as the Parliament Buildings' gothic revival architecture.

Ottawa's domestic architecture is dominated by single family homes, but also includes smaller numbers of semi-detached houses, rowhouses, and apartment buildings. Many domestic buildings are clad in brick, with small numbers covered in wood, stone, or siding of different materials; variations are common, depending on neighbourhoods and the age of dwellings within them.

The skyline has been controlled by building height restrictions originally implemented to keep Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower at 92.2 m visible from most parts of the city.

Today, several buildings are slightly taller than the Peace Tower, with the tallest on Albert Street being the 29-storey Place de Ville at 112 m .Federal buildings in the National Capital Region are managed by Public Works Canada, while most of the federal land in the region is managed by the National Capital Commission; its control of much undeveloped land gives the NCC a great deal of influence over the city's development.Ottawa is served by a number of airlines that fly into the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport , as well as two main regional airports Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, and the Ottawa/Carp Airport.

The Rapid bus service network operates all day, 7 days a week, reaching Kanata to the West, Barrhaven to the South-West, Orléans to the East, and South Keys to the South. There are also several night bus routes that cover Line 1's downtown stations while it is shut off for the night, and backup service to downtown while the train is delayed.

Both OC Transpo and the Quebec-based Société de transport de l'Outaouais operate bus services between Ottawa and Gatineau.

OC Transpo also operates a door-to-door bus service for the differently-abled known as ParaTranspo.

Construction was recently completed on the Confederation Line, a 12.5-kilometre light-rail transit line , which includes a 2.5-kilometre tunnel through the downtown area featuring three underground stations. The project broke ground in 2013, and opened in September 2019.A further 30 km and 19 stations will be built by 2023, referred to as the Stage 2 plan. In 2006, the National Capital Commission completed aesthetic enhancements to Confederation Boulevard, a ceremonial route of existing roads linking key attractions on both sides of the Ottawa River.

Ottawa is well served by transportation systems, including railroads that provide frequent passenger service, a good network of expressways, and major roads in and around the metropolitan area. There are also an international airport and two regional airports. Regional mass transit is centred on a system of dedicated bus rapid-transit lines and a light-rail line . The Capital Pathway, a network of more than 130 miles of recreational paths throughout the metropolitan area, serves bicyclists and pedestrians.The Rideau Canal remains a functional canal, though it is used mainly by pleasure craft. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007 in recognition of its unique design and historical significance.