Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and is home to 1 million + people. It is the 6th largest city in Canada by population. It is located just east of Gatineau, Quebec; about 110 km (68 mi) southwest of Montreal; about 260 km (160 mi) northeast of Toronto; and about 65 km (40 mi) west of Kingston. It is the second largest municipality in Ontario after Toronto. Ottawa has an area of 267 KM2 (103 square miles) and a density of about 2,587 people per KM2.
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- Ottawa officially became a city in 1855 and had a population of only 200 people.
- The city was named after the Ottawa River, which is in turn named after the Algonquin word “Odawas” meaning to trade or to make something occur.
- Ottawa has the highest average snowfall (about 107cm) of any major Canadian city and during the winter months it can reach temperatures as low as -30C and as high as 33C during the summer months.
- Ottawa has a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons, long cold winters with warm summers and considerable snowfall (107 cm per year).
- The Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area is home to over one million people (about 1.2 million), making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in Canada.
- The Ottawa-Gatineau region is one of the top 5 financial centres in North America, with over 230 international banks having offices in Ottawa and over fifty banks and financial institutions being located in Gatineau, Quebec.
- The National Capital Region has a large labour force of about 688,000 people – 71% of these are employed in the services sector, with 25% employed in manufacturing and 4% employed in agriculture. The federal government is the largest employer, and the city of Ottawa is second.
- Ottawa is famous for being the centre of Canadian arts and culture, being home to the National Arts Centre, NAC English Theatre, National Gallery, NAC French Theatre, Ottawa Art Gallery, National Museum of Science and Technology and others.
- The National Capital Region attracts over 10 million tourists each year, which injects about $3 billion into the local economy.
- In 2013 there were over 874 000 small businesses in the city, which created jobs for 11% of the city’s workforce. These businesses have an annual payroll of $1.3 billion and a total revenue of $13 billion – making it one of Canada’s top 10 cities for small business success.
- The prime minister of Canada residence is located at 24 Sussex Drive, although he doesn’t live there. He and his family stay at Rideau Cottage.
- Canada’s Parliament buildings are in Ottawa and visitors to the city can take a guided tour of some of the most famous buildings in Canada, including the Peace Tower and Centre Block. These historic buildings have suffered massive fires and have undergone reconstruction.
- Ottawa is also home to the most educated city in Canada with about 46% of people aged 25-64 holding post-secondary degrees (compared to 29% for all of Canada). In 2006 over 56% of residents in the city’s core had a post-secondary degree – while only 20% did in 1986.
- Ottawa is the fourth largest city in Canada.
- Ottawa was originally called Bytown named for Colonel John By, the engineer who oversaw construction of the Rideau Canal. In 1855 Bytown was incorporated and became Ottawa.
- In 1857 Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be the capital of Canada.
- The name Ottawa comes from the Algonquin word adawe – which means to trade.
- Ottawa is located on the banks of the Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau Rivers.
- Ottawa is the seventh coldest capital in the world. Others that are colder include in order of coldest first are Ulaan-Baatar in Mongolia, Astana in Kazakhastan, Moscow, Russia, Helsinki in Finland, Reykjavik, Iceland and Tallinn in Estonia.
- In 1970-71 a record 444.1 cm of snow fell over the winter. The average annual snowfall in Ottawa is 236 cm (92.8 inches).
- Ottawa receives an average of 2061 hours of bright sunshine a year. Compare that to Calgary that gets 2,405 hours of sunshine per year – the highest of any major Canadian city.
- On the summer solstice the sun rises at 5:14 AM and sets at 8:54 PM. On the winter solstice the sun rises at 7:39 AM and sets at 4:23 PM.
- The metro Ottawa area population is 1,236,324. Of those, 920,000 live on the Ontario side of the river.
- 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 a multilingual city. Approximately 50% of people speak English, 32% French and the rest a mix of other languages including Chinese, Arabic, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
- Ottawa has more scientists, engineers and PhD’s per capita than any other city in Canada.
- There are 35 major festivals in Ottawa. The Canadian Tulip Festival, held every May, is one of the most famous.
- The Ottawa Capital region welcomes more than 7.3 million visitors annually.
- Ottawa ranks as the most educated city in the country.
- Ottawa is the fourth cleanest city out of 300 major cities ranked around the world – at least according to Forbes.
- Moneysense ranked Ottawa for the third consecutive year as the best city in Canada to live in.
- The Federal Government is the city’s largest employer.
- Ottawa is the agricultural center of eastern Ontario and has more farmland than any other city in Canada.
- Ottawa is home to over 1,800 technology companies – employing more than 76,000 people.
- There are five universities and two colleges in Ottawa.
- Ottawa boasts a UNESCO World heritage site – the Rideau Canal. It is the best preserved example of a slackwater canal built in North America. It remains operational along its’ original line with most of the structures from the early nineteenth century still intact.
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