Canada Capitals

The capital city of Canada is Ottawa. Ottawa is located in eastern portion of the east-central Canadian province of Ontario. The Ottawa River runs through the city. The city of Ottawa was first established in 1826, although it was then called Bytown. Ottawa was chosen as the capital of Canada by Queen Victoria on New Year's Eve, 1857. Ottawa was seen as a surprising choice, as it did not at the time have a sizeable population and was seen as relatively geographically isolated. However, the reasons for choosing Ottawa were its location between the major cities in Canada West of Toronto and Kingston and the major cities of Canada East of Montreal and Quebec. Its location was also seen as a safe choice away from the threat of American attack, which was a concern at the time.

As of 2016, Ottawa had a population of just under one million, with 934,243 people living within the city itself. In the greater metropolitan area, there were 1,323,783 individuals. These means that Ottawa is the fourth-largest city in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary. Canada is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in Canada, as well as the world, ranking high on measurements of living standards.

Ottawa is home to a variety of museums and attractions that make it popular among tourists. These museums include the popular National Arts Centre as well as the National Gallery. Parliament Hill, the home of the Government of Canada, is another popular tourist attraction in Ottawa. The Canadian Museum of History, which is located across the river from Ottawa in Gatineau, is the most visited museum in all of Canada. Ottawa is almost famous for its extensive canal system, the Rideau Canal. In winter, it is possible to ice skate along the canal.

Ottawa is home to four distinct seasons. Its climate can be described as humid continental. This means that summers are humid and hot, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Winters in Ottawa are long, snowy, and extremely cold. Temperatures in January on average stand at around -14 degrees Celsius.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Ottawa
Languages	English (official) 58.7%, French (official) 22%, Punjabi 1.4%, Italian 1.3%, Spanish 1.3%, German 1.3%, Cantonese 1.2%, Tagalog 1.2%, Arabic 1.1%, other 10.5% (2011 est.)
Ethnic Groups	Canadian 32.2%, English 19.8%, French 15.5%, Scottish 14.4%, Irish 13.8%, German 9.8%, Italian 4.5%, Chinese 4.5%, North American Indian 4.2%, other 50.9%
Religion	Catholic 39% (includes Roman Catholic 38.8%, other Catholic .2%), Protestant 20.3% (includes United Church 6.1%, Anglican 5%, Baptist 1.9%, Lutheran 1.5%, Pentecostal 1.5%, Presbyterian 1.4%, other Protestant 2.9%), Orthodox 1.6%, other Christian 6.3%, Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 1.5%, Sikh 1.4%, Buddhist 1.1%, Jewish 1%, other 0.6%, none 23.9% (2011 est.)
Government	Federal parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independance	1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (recognized by UK per Statute of Westminster)
Area	9,984,670.00 km²
Water Area	891,163.00 km²
Land Area	9,093,507.00 km²
Population	35,362,905.00 Vast majority of Canadians are positioned in a discontinuous band within approximately 300 km (180 mi) of the southern border with the United States; the most populated province is Ontario, followed by Quebec and British Columbia
Location	Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US
No. Bordering Countries	1
Bordering Countries	US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
GDP(PPP)	$1,670,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$46,200.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partner is the United States.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, and chemicals.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are the United States, China, and Mexico.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, and crude oil.
Climate	Varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Terrain	Mostly plains with mountains in west, lowlands in southeast
Learn More	Canada

Canada Capitals

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