ow do we begin talking about Ottawa if you've never been here? We can start with some iconic images: The Peace Tower. The Rideau Canal. The Tulip Festival. Winterlude.  
 

Any of those ring a bell? (Well, The Peace Tower does, but that's a different story.)

Maybe we should start with a more fact-based approach to describe this one-of-a-kind city to those unfamiliar with it.

 
 
  • Ottawa is Canada 's capital city. The City's population is 865,500.
  • Ottawa has the highest percentage of residents with a university degree in Canada.
  • Ottawa-Gatineau has the country's second-highest bilingual population by percentage. ( Gatineau, in the province of Quebec, is separated from Ottawa by the Ottawa River. Ottawa and Gatineau make up the National Capital Region. Canada's two official languages are English and French.)
  • Ottawa is home to Canada's highest population by percentage of people connected to the Internet, bettering the national average by nearly 15 percent.
  • Ottawa is a centre of world-class research, and home to over 21,000 diverse businesses.
  • Ottawa, one of the greenest cities in North America, encompasses more than 10,000 hectares of forest, 890 parks and 610 kilometres of bike trails.

That was a very brief glimpse at Ottawa. We invite you to dig deeper, to really discover Ottawa by exploring this site and the many links offered here. We hope you also have the opportunity to learn more by traveling here.