I.

Introduction

Ottawa (city, Ontario), city, capital of Canada, located in the southeastern part of the province of Ontario close to the border with Québec. The city is located on the Ottawa River and is part of Canada’s National Capital Region. This region also includes the neighboring city of Gatineau, Québec, across the river from Ottawa, and the surrounding municipalities and rural areas.

Ottawa is one of the coldest national capitals in the world. Temperatures in January range from a high of -6°C (21°F) to a low of -16°C (4°F). In July, the temperatures range from a high of 26°C (80°F) to a low of 15°C (59°F).

II.

People of Ottawa

According to the 2001 census, Ottawa had a population of 774,072, more than 2.5 times the 1991 figure of 313,987. Its census metropolitan area (CMA), which incorporates Gatineau and adjacent parts of the province of Québec as well as surrounding communities in Ontario, grew from a population of 941,814 in 1991 to 1,102,900 in 2001, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in Canada.

In the city of Ottawa, native English speakers outnumber native French speakers by about a 4 to 1 ratio, but in the CMA, more than one-third of the population are native French speakers. Additionally, the Ottawa area is home to a number of ethnic communities, primarily of European (Italian and German), Middle Eastern (Arabic), and Far Eastern (Chinese) origins. There is also a small population of indigenous peoples.

III.

Ottawa’s Urban Landscape

Ottawa is a city of great natural beauty. It is located in the southeastern part of the province of Ontario, on the southern bank of the Ottawa River opposite the city of Gatineau. Ottawa is situated on a bluff above the Ottawa River, and both the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal flow through the city. Ottawa incorporated a number of neighboring communities in 2001. Today the city covers a land area of 2,796 sq km (1,080 sq mi) and is surrounded by a large protected greenbelt to the south and west. The land area of the Ottawa-Gatineau CMA is 5,318 sq km (2,053 sq mi). It is screened on the north by a wilderness conservation area on the Québec side of the Ottawa River. A working farm, the Central Experimental Farm, lies within Ottawa’s borders.

The Canadian Parliament buildings are located on Parliament Hill, which overlooks the Ottawa River just west of the Rideau Canal. The Parliament buildings include the Peace Tower—the dominant feature of the complex—and the East, Centre, and West blocks. The East and West blocks house administrative offices. The Centre Block, gutted by fire in 1916, was rebuilt in 1921. Sharing Wellington Street with the Parliament buildings are the Confederation Building, the Supreme Court, and the National Library. Sussex Drive, leading away from Parliament toward the municipality of Rockcliffe Park, is also lined with public buildings, including the United States Embassy. To its east lies the Byward Market, a thriving commercial area that features a farmers’ market and is the center of Ottawa’s nightlife.

The National Gallery of Canada, designed by Israeli-born, Canadian-trained architect Moshe Safdie, is one of many museums in Ottawa. It houses the world’s largest collection of Canadian art. Across the Ottawa River in Gatineau is the Canadian Museum of Civilization, which has extensive displays about the history of Canada and Canadians. Other museums include the National Museum of Science and Technology, which has a large astronomy display complete with a refracting telescope for public stargazing; the Canadian Museum of Nature, housing many exhibits on the natural and physical sciences; and the Canada Aviation Museum, which has one of the world’s foremost aeronautical collections. The National Arts Centre, opened in 1969, has several performing stages for concerts, ballet, and theater.

The Ottawa area is home to two major universities: the bilingual University of Ottawa (1848) and Carleton University (1942). There are also two community colleges, the English-language Algonquin College and the French-language Cité Collégiale.

Many festivals and events take place annually in the city. Every February Ottawa hosts the Winterlude, a winter festival featuring ice and snow sculptures and a playground made of snow. During the festival, the frozen Rideau Canal becomes filled with ice skaters. The Tulip Festival in May celebrates the relationship between Canada and the Netherlands with a profusion of tulips. On Canada Day, July 1, the day that marks the founding of the Dominion of Canada, Parliament Hill and its surrounding areas are the site of a giant celebration, which culminates in a spectacular fireworks display.

A professional ice hockey team, the Senators of the National Hockey League, is based in Ottawa. The city also hosts a professional soccer team, the Ottawa Wizards.

IV.

Economy of Ottawa

Direct employment in government still accounts for a large number of jobs in the Ottawa area, despite downsizing in the public sector in the 1990s, and the region as a whole boasts a high percentage of managerial and professional employees. Since the 1970s Ottawa has become a center for high-technology industry, which now accounts for a large part of the manufacturing in the area. The region is home to many computer, research and development, and communications firms, and Ottawa ranks as one of Canada’s leaders in the manufacture of electronics and communications equipment.

Tourism plays an important role in Ottawa’s economy, with several million people visiting the region annually. Ottawa is well connected by road and rail to the major transportation routes that span central and eastern Canada, and further improvements to the highway system are being constructed. Additionally, the Rideau Canal connects Ottawa to Lake Ontario at Kingston, and Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is one of Canada’s busiest.

V.

Government of Ottawa

The city of Ottawa is run by a council composed of a mayor and a number of councillors who are elected for four-year terms. Each of the councillors represents one of the city’s electoral wards. The Ottawa city council is responsible for administering the city and providing municipal services.

VI.

History of Ottawa

Before European explorers arrived in Canada, the area around Ottawa was inhabited by hunters and gatherers of the Algonquian and Iroquoian (see Iroquoian Family) peoples. In 1613 the area was visited by Samuel de Champlain, founder of the French empire in North America (see New France). In 1800, several years after the British captured Canada from the French, Philemon Wright, an American immigrant, established the first permanent settlement on the north bank of the Ottawa River. In 1826 the British government began building the Rideau Canal between the Ottawa River and Lake Ontario as a military project under the direction of Colonel John By. The project also included the establishment of a village, named Bytown in the colonel’s honor. Bytown grew as a center for lumbering in the Ottawa River Valley. The area became a leading producer of lumber after Chaudière Falls (located nearby on the Ottawa River) and Rideau Falls (where the Rideau River enters the Ottawa River) were harnessed to provide waterpower in the 1850s. Bytown was incorporated as a town in 1847 and became the city of Ottawa in 1855.

In 1857 Ottawa became the capital of the Province of Canada, which included the present-day provinces of Québec and Ontario. It was chosen because it was located on the border between Québec and Ontario and was safe from American attack. Parliament buildings were constructed, and the government moved to Ottawa in 1866. When the Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867, Ottawa became its capital (see Confederation of Canada).

In the 20th century, the lumber industry declined, but the federal civil service grew, especially during World War II (1939-1945) and in the postwar period. Efforts by the federal governments of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1968-1979, 1980-1984) changed the character of the National Capital Region. Work to make the civil service operate in both French and English and to establish a significant government presence in nearby French-speaking Gatineau, Québec, allowed the capital and the federal government to reflect both of Canada’s main cultures. In the 1990s, as government expansion gave way to cutbacks, Ottawa took on a new identity as a high-technology center.