City of Ottawa, Canada

QUICK FACTS 

Capital of CANADA!

• The Ottawa Region, with 1,148,800 million (latest stats) residents, is the fourth-largest urban area in Canada.
• Slightly more than half of the residents of the Ottawa Region speak English as their first language, close to one-third speak French as well, and almost one-fifth have other ethnic backgrounds, endowing the region with a vibrant tapestry of culture and cuisine.
• The major local industries are advanced technology, tourism, retail and services. Ottawa has been ranked sixth in the world in terms of quality of life. This rating is based on many factors, including low crime rates, environmental cleanliness, public services, political stability, and socio-economic conditions.
• The current mayor of Ottawa is Larry O'Brien, who succeeded Bob Chiarelli on December 1, 2006.
• There is no federal capital district in Canada. Ottawa is a municipality within the Province of Ontario. Although it does not constitute a separate administrative district, Ottawa is part of the federally-designated National Capital Region, which includes the neighbouring Quebec municipality of Gatineau.
• Ottawa has a humid continental climate with a range of temperatures from a record high of 37.8 °C (100 °F) in the summers of 1986 and 2001, to a record low of -38.9 °C (-38 °F) being recorded on December 29, 1933, the third coldest temperature recorded in a capital city (after Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Moscow, Russia).
• Snow and ice are dominant during the winter season. Ottawa receives about 235 cm (93 in) of snowfall annually. This is one of the world's coldest capitals, with mean January temperatures of -10.7º Celsius.
• Ottawa sits at the confluence of three major rivers: the Ottawa River, the Gatineau River and the Rideau River. The Ottawa and Gatineau rivers were historically important in the logging and lumber industries, and the Rideau as part of the Rideau Canal system connecting the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River with the Ottawa River.
• The Rideau Canal (built through the wilderness from 1826 to 1832 to link Ottawa to the Great Lakes) was one of the great engineering feats of the 19th century. In winter, a section of the Canal (7.8 kilometres) becomes the world's largest skating rink. (Winnipeg now has the honor of the longest skating rink)!
• Canada's Capital Region has the highest concentration of museums of any region in Canada. You'll also find the longest network of recreational pathways of any North American city.