What is the capital of the canada

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Capital City of Canada: Why Ottawa?

Whether you’re preparing for a geography exam or simply want to learn more about your friendly neighbor to the north, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ll answer an important question everyone should know the answer to: what is the capital of Canada? In addition, we’ll explain how this place came to be the capital city of Canada and what all the capital cities of the Canadian provinces and territories are currently.

What Is the Capital of Canada?

The capital of Canada is Ottawa, which is located in Ontario —that is, the province directly above the Great Lakes and the US states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and (part of) New York. Ottawa lies on the south bank of the Ottawa River, which runs between and defines the borders of the provinces Ontario and Quebec.

Opus Penguin/Flickr

Together, Ottawa and the city of Gatineau, which is located directly across from Ottawa in Quebec, make up the National Capital Region called Ottawa-Gatineau. This specially designated region refers to not only the cities themselves but also their surrounding Census Metropolitan Areas.

Due to Ottawa’s placement between the primarily English-speaking Ontario and the mostly French-speaking Quebec, it is one of the most bilingual cities in Canada.

Below are some quick facts to know about Ottawa, the capital city of Canada:

A Brief History of the Capital of Canada

Ottawa has been the capital city of Canada ever since Canada became a self-governing country. But how exactly did it manage to become the capital of Canada — and why?

In 1841, what was originally called the Province of Canada (the present-day provinces of Ontario and Quebec) came under British colonial control. The next 16 years witnessed ongoing disputes over what the capital of the new province should be; contenders included Quebec City, Toronto, Montreal, Kingston, and finally Ottawa.

Each of these cities held the title of capital of Canada for varying lengths of time. Here is a chronology of exactly how the capital city of Canada changed in just two and a half decades:

It was clear already by 1857 that the decision of where to place the capital of Canada was going to be difficult and time-consuming. At this time, Queen Victoria was asked to select the capital city of Canada. Her choice of Ottawa — a fairly small and newly incorporated city — surprised many.

Still, Ottawa had a lot of promise: it was starting to experience economic growth and was home to an impressive railway system; it also had a long history of trade due to its location near several rivers. But not everyone agreed with the queen’s pick, which led Toronto to remain the capital for another two years followed by Quebec City for another six years.

It wasn’t until 1866 that Ottawa was officially designated the capital city of the Province of Canada and began to hold Parliament. In 1867, the Province of Canada became the Dominion of Canada, making it an official, self-governing colony of the British empire. This also meant that Ottawa was the first (and so far only) official capital of Canada as we know it.

What Are the Capital Cities of Canada?

We now know that Ottawa is the capital city of Canada, but what about the capital cities of all the provinces and territories within Canada? Similar to the United States, where there is a capital city for each state, Canada has capital cities for all 13 of its provinces and territories.

The following chart depicts the capital city of each Canadian province/territory and its population from the 2016 census. Provinces and territories are listed alphabetically.

Province/Territory

Capital City

Capital City Population (2016)

What Is The Capital City Of Canada?

Canadian Parliament building along the banks of the Ottawa River.

Canada makes up the northern region of North America and spreads out across an area of 3,854,085 square miles. This country borders the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its southern land border with the US is the longest in the world. The majority of its land is covered with forests, tundra, and mountains. The capital of Canada is Ottawa.

What Type Of Government Does Canada Have?

The government of Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. This means that the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II of England, is the Head of State. The Governor General of Canada is appointed by the monarch and represents the British monarch within the country. The executive branch of the government is headed by the Prime Minister, who oversees the Cabinet. The legislative branch consists of Parliament, which is divided into the Senate with its 105 members and the lower House of Commons with its 338 members.

What Is The Capital Of Canada, And Where Is It Located?

The capital of Canada is Ottawa in the province of Ontario. This city sits along the south side of the Ottawa River, which is located in the southeastern region of the province. It is situated at the confluence of three rivers, those namely being the Ottawa, Gatineau, and Quebec Rivers. This city covers an area of approximately 1,072 square miles and has a population of 960,754. Ottawa is the fourth most populous city in the country.

History Of The Capital City Of Canada

Because of its location within a fertile river valley, the area surrounding Ottawa has been settled by humans for thousands of years. Its closeness to the convergence of three rivers made it an important player in travel and trade. In 1610, the first European explorer discovered the river valley. This visit launched a trade relationship between Europeans and locals indigenous peoples, missionaries began coming to the area later.

By 1800, the first European settlement, Wrightsville, had been established on the north side of the Ottawa River. This community later initiated a lumber industry that became an important economic activity. With news of the British intent to establish a canal on the south side of the river in 1826, hundreds of settlers were attracted to what is present-day Ottawa. At that time, the city was named Bytown and underwent significant development efforts.

In 1855, Bytown became known as Ottawa and, two years later, Queen Victoria designated the city as the capital of the country because of its strategic location. Development work continued and by 1885, Ottawa was the first city to have all-electric street lights. During the 1950s, redesign efforts created the parkway and several highway systems and decentralized the location of several government buildings. This was followed by a surge in construction that lasted until the 1980s and then a boom in the technology industry. In 2001, the city combined all of the nearby municipalities into one single city.

Present-Day Role Of Ottawa As The Capital Of Canada

Today, Ottawa is home to several governmental organizations. In fact, the federal government is the largest employer in the city. Parliament Hill, the Library of Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Prime Minister’s residence are all located here. This is where public officials meet to discuss and decide on the future of the country.

Why Is Ottawa The Capital Of Canada?

A view of the Parliament of Canada and the Ottawa River.

The city of Ottawa is located in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is the sixth largest city in the country and the second largest city in Ontario. Today it serves as the capital city of Canada. Ottawa served as the capital city of Canada since 1867. It also served as the capital of the Province of Canada, a British colony until 1867. Ottawa has not always served as a capital city. Between 1841 and 1866, the Province of Canada saw its capital shift from Kingston, Ontario to Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec City. Toronto and Quebec City would serve as the capital of the Province of Canada twice. How did Ottawa become the capital?

How Geography Made Ottawa The Capital Of Canada?

Ottawa was founded in 1826 as a Bytown. British authorities at that time were constructing the northern part of the Rideau Canal. People were attracted to the southern side of the Ottawa River. The Rideau Canal played an important role for Ottawa. It would put Ottawa along a waterway linking the cities of Toronto and Kingston. This contributed to population growth in the area. Bytown would be renamed Ottawa in 1855, and incorporated as a city.

On New Years Eve 1857, Queen Victoria was given the task of choosing the Province of Canada’s new capital. This was merely symbolic, however. The responsibility for choosing a capital city was given to the Executive Branch of the provincial government. Queen Victoria, however, chose Ottawa as the new capital of the Province of Canada.

This is why Ottawa was chosen. Geography plays a major role. The bulk of the population lived in the southern part of the province. Ottawa is located in between Toronto and Montreal. This meant a relatively central location within the region. It had access to water transportation that would connected it to the rest of the region. Ottawa also had a relatively remote location, in what was considered a frontier area. This was a region of dense forests. It was located far from the U.S.-Canada border. Ottawa would serve as capital of the Province of Canada in 1866, one year before becoming the country of Canada. After becoming a nation, Ottawa would serve as the capital of Canada to this day.

Where Anglophone and Francophone Regions Come Together

The capital of Canada is located on the border of Ontario, an English speaking province, and Quebec, a French speaking province. Ottawa is officially a bilingual city, where both French and English are spoken. The National Capital Region includes areas that are part of both Ontario and Quebec. The Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area spans both French and English speaking regions. Ottawa became the capital of Canada because of its relatively central location. Ottawa’s location today reflects Canada’s bilingualism. This is where Anglophone and Francophone areas come together.

Population Corridor

It has been reiterated that Ottawa’s central location relative to Toronto and Montreal shaped its role in becoming the capital of Canada. This role is re-enforced when considering the region it is located in today. Ottawa is located in Canada’s most densely population region. 72 percent of Canada’s population lives along a corridor from Windsor,Ontario (on the US-Canada border) to Quebec City metropolitan area. This puts Ottawa in a central location relative to most of Canada’s population.

Geography played a major role in Ottawa becoming the capital of Canada. This continues today.

What is the Capital of Canada?

Ottawa is the capital of Canada and the fourth-largest in the country.

Located in the Ottawa Valley, the city is at the southeastern tip of the state of Ontario and is on the border of the province of Québec.

The Capital of Canada, Ottawa, is located in the Southeastern part of the country.

Ottawa is also the largest city in Canada with two official languages (English and French). English and French languages are legally equal and must be used together in all official documents and public spaces.

History of Ottawa

The Ottawa Valley became habitable around ten thousand years ago, when the Champlain Sea drained from the region. This made the region a viable location for harvesting wild edible foods, hunting, fishing, agriculture, trade, and travel. People used this area for these activities for over 6,500 years.

The land of present-day Ottawa is the traditional land of the indigenous Algonquin people. “Ottawa,” the Canada capital city name, comes from the Algonquin language. It comes from the word for “trade” in the Algonquin language, which was the name given to the Ottawa River. Trade and travel have been important parts of life in the Ottawa Valley for thousands of years, and evidence of this is found in several archeological sites in the area with arrow heads, pottery, and other artifacts.

Before it was named Ottawa, the city was known as Bytown, named after John By, the engineer responsible for the Rideau Waterway Project, now known as the Rideau Canal. This canal connects Ottawa to Lake Ontario and was constructed in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States.

In 1855, the city was officially renamed Ottawa and given city status. Two years later, in 1857, Queen Victoria was asked to choose a capital city of Canada. This request was a symbolic gesture intended to demonstrate respect for the Queen, and Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald had actually assigned the responsibility to the government’s Executive Branch. However, the Queen made a decision fairly quickly and named Ottawa as Canada’s capital city. Reasoning for her decision included the facts that the city was midway between Toronto and Montreal, two of the country’s largest cities, it was easily defensible, and its small size made it less susceptible to political mobs.

By the time Ottawa was chosen as Canada’s capital, it was already becoming an important center for timber trade. Sawmills were established in the Ottawa River Valley and timber was transported by water to Montreal, which boosted the city’s economy and provided employment for residents.

Features of Ottawa

Geography and Climate

Ottawa lies on the south bank of the Ottawa River, in the Ottawa Valley, and has a surface area of 2,778 square kilometers. The mouths of the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal are both in the city along the Ottawa River and continue to the south. The Gatineau River is another major river that joins the Ottawa River within city limits, coming from the north.

The closest major city to Ottawa is Gatineau, which lies just across the Ottawa River in the province of Quebec. These two cities, although in different provinces, together make up Canada’s National Capital Region. It is considered a single metropolitan area and is surrounded by a substantial greenbelt.

The drastic differences in temperature year round can have a great impact on the experience of the city. The months from late June to early September are considered the best times for tourists to visit the city if they are interested in warm weather activities. The winter months see regular snow and ice accumulation, and Ottawa is the seventh-coldest capital city in the world.

One benefit to the cold winters in Ottawa is that the Rideau Canal regularly freezes over. Given the central location of the canal in the city, this creates the world’s largest ice skating rink. It’s 7.8 km (4.8 miles) long and covers the same area as 90 Olympic sized skating rinks.

Economy

Although the economy of Ottawa was largely connected to the timber industry in the earlier days of its history, the industries generating the most money in the capital city are now the high-tech sector and governmental jobs. The largest employer in the city is the federal government, which employs more than 100,000 people in the region. This is in part because many federal departments have their headquarters in Ottawa. The Canadian Armed Forces, for example, have their base of operations in Ottawa.

There are also many technology-focused businesses in Ottawa, so many that the city has been referred to by some as “Silicon Valley North.” The tech industry employs more than 60,000 people at over 1,700 businesses in Ottawa. These companies cover a diverse range of focuses, like telecommunication, software development, and environmental technology.

Other major industries that employ many residents of Ottawa are the healthcare field — there are four general hospitals and several specialized hospitals in the wider Ottawa area — the finance sector, and tourism. About ten percent of Ottawa’s GDP is generated from finance-related activity, and tourism has become an increasingly important part of the economy.

The fact that the nation’s capital is in Ottawa attracts tourists to the city, as do its high quality accommodations and various festivals and family attractions. There are about 11 million tourists that visit the region each year, which generates over 3 billion dollars in total revenue. The industry also provides more than 40,000 jobs.

Architecture and City Design

As Canada’s capital city, Ottawa is home to many government buildings, some of which appear to have been built with functionality as a guiding principle rather than aesthetic beauty. Others showcase interesting styles; the Parliament Buildings, for example, utilize a Gothic Revival architectural style.

A view of the Peace Tower on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill on a sunny day.

Despite its status as a capital city and its fairly large size, Ottawa maintains a relatively low skyline. One of the reasons for this is that there are a multitude of laws protecting view planes within the city. This is to ensure that Parliament Hill is visible from many parts of the city.

Until 1965, buildings were not permitted to exceed 45.5 m (ca. 149 ft) in height so that the Peace Tower would remain the tallest building in the city. This restriction is no longer in effect, and there are now several buildings that are taller than 90 m (ca. 295 ft).

The design of the city includes a number of green spaces, which improves the liveability of the city significantly. The Ottawa Greenbelt is an example of how the government has prioritized green space in this area of the country.

The greenbelt borders the city of Ottawa, covering an area of more than 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) and is home to a variety of wildlife. This green space was created with the intention of limiting the expansion of the city and preventing an urban sprawl in the area. However, the best use of this land is currently being debated.

Ottawa also has numerous parks and city gardens. The city gardens are shared spaces where residents can use the land to grow food. There are around 4,300 hectares of parkland that are maintained by the city of Ottawa, and these include dog parks and play structures for children.

There are over 80 neighborhoods within Ottawa city limits, and they each have features that make them stand out from other areas of the city. Some are full of businesses, some have universities, others are mostly residential, and there are even some rural areas on the city’s outskirts.

Culture

There are many different cultural events and landmarks in the city of Ottawa. Some notable museums in the city are the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian War Museum, though there are many others. The Canadian Museum of History, which is the most visited museum in Canada, is located just across the Ottawa River in Gatineau.

An aerial view of the Canadian Museum of History from across the Ottawa River.

In addition to its museums, Ottawa has several theaters that host plays and musical performances. The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and the Great Canadian Theater Company are both based in Ottawa. One notable theater located in the city is the Ottawa Little Theater, one of the oldest theaters in North America and Canada’s longest-running theater.

Ottawa is also the location of Winterlude, Canada’s largest festival. The festival is centered around the Rideau Canal Skateway, and there are many other attractions, such as a snow park with ice sculptures, special exhibits at museums, and music performances by DJs. Other notable festivals in the city include the Canadian Tulip Festival, the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, and Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill.

Sports are another part of Ottawa culture, and there are various teams that call the city home. The Senators are a professional ice hockey team that competes in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Ottawa Redblacks are a professional Canadian Football team that plays in the Canadian Football League, and Atlético Ottawa is a professional Canadian soccer team that plays in the Canadian Premier League.

Of the twenty UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada, one is in Ottawa: the Rideau Canal. It has heritage status because it is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America.

People of Ottawa

The Ottawa-Gatineau population is almost 1.5 million people, and there are just over 1 million people in the city of Ottawa alone. This makes Ottawa-Gatineau the fourth-largest city in Canada by population. It is also one of Canada’s fastest growing regions in terms of population and one of the world’s leading cities in terms of quality of life.

The religion with the largest representation in the city is Christianity, though many religions are represented in the city. There are places of worship for residents of Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, and Sikh faith throughout the city.

The largest ethnic group in Ottawa is European, making up about 70% of the population. Almost a quarter of the population is considered to be immigrants, and there are many different minority groups in the city. Almost 5% of residents are aboriginal.

Ottawa-Gatineau is the largest Canadian city that has two official languages: English and French. This bilingualism became part of an official business policy in the city in 2002, and much of the population can communicate in both languages. Multilingualism is common in this city, as there is also approximately 20% of the population that lists a language other than French or English as their mother tongue.

More than half of the Ottawa population has graduated from a college or university, giving it the reputation of being one of Canada’s most educated cities. It has the highest concentration of engineers and scientists per capita out of all of Canada’s cities, and there is a large population of resident PhD students. The two primary public universities in Ottawa are Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, which is the largest English-French bilingual university in the world.

Government

As the capital of Canada, the government of Ottawa is greatly important. The city makes up a single-tier municipality, which essentially means that it does not belong to any larger regional or county government. Instead, it is responsible for all of its own municipal services.

The politics of the residents in the capital city are diverse and vary by neighborhood. Historically, the majority of the city has supported the Liberal Party, which is the longest-serving and oldest political party in Canada — it has dominated most of Canada’s politics since the country’s inception. Generally speaking, political and social views become more conservative toward the outer, more rural areas of Ottawa.

About Canada’s capital

Canada’s Capital belongs to all Canadians.

Visitors here find a reflection of who they are, as well as an insight into the life of our country. They leave with a deeper understanding of Canada and Canadians. From Parliament Hill to the national museums, the symbols are rich and varied, and they highlight many aspects of the Canadian experience.

The Capital represents the seat of our government, a place of national heritage and history, as well as the cultural showcase of our nation. In addition, it is Canada’s face to the world, a place where we celebrate our achievements.

As well as serving as headquarters for most government departments and agencies, the Capital is the site of national institutions that shape, define and communicate the Canadian way of life (politically, legally, fiscally and culturally).

It is the headquarters of many important international agencies and a place where Canada connects to the world. Here also, Canadians can discover their place in the global community.

This modern and vibrant capital is home to many national treasures. But its soul lies in the heritage buildings and landscapes, the sense of history, the larger-than-life monuments, the natural surroundings and the great Canadian festivals.

This is where you’ll discover what it means to be Canadian.

A Place of National Celebrations and Commemorations

All year long, Canada’s Capital is alive with a wide range of national celebrations and commemorations. The Capital is Canada’s meeting place; it communicates the rich and diverse nature of our country to all Canadians, as well as to visitors from around the world.

Canada Day festivities are part of national celebrations that bind together all Canadians, from coast to coast to coast. And Canadian winters are the perfect reason to celebrate, with Winterlude.

Each summer, the Northern Lights sound and light show celebrates our nation’s past accomplishments and bright future.

Activities are hosted throughout the year, in the region’s parks and green spaces, on Parliament Hill, and along Confederation Boulevard and throughout the heart of the Capital.

A Capital Learning Experience

The Capital is also an exciting outdoor classroom — and our programs and initiatives allow students to discover all that it has to offer. Whether walking in the footsteps of great Canadians on Parliament Hill, photographing friends in front of Canada’s national monuments or pausing to reflect at the National War Memorial, students who participate in our programs will enjoy memorable learning experiences.