Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR).

[38] In 1826, news of the British military's impending construction of the Rideau Canal led to land speculators founding a community on the south side of the Ottawa River.

[39] The following year, the town was named after British military engineer Colonel John By who was responsible for the entire Rideau Waterway construction project.

It bypassed a vulnerable stretch of the St. Lawrence River bordering the state of New York that had left re-supply ships bound for southwestern Ontario easily exposed to enemy fire during the War of 1812.

[43][44] Bytown's early pioneer period saw Irish labour unrest during the Shiners' War from 1835 to 1845[45] and political dissension that was evident in the 1849 Stony Monday Riot.

The choice was contentious and not straightforward, with the parliament of the United Province of Canada holding more than 200 votes over several decades to attempt to settle on a legislative solution to the location of the capital.

[51] In 1842, a vote rejected Kingston as the capital,[52] and study of potential candidates included the then-named Bytown, but that option proved less popular than Toronto or Montreal.

The Queen then acted on the advice of her governor general Edmund Head,[60] who, after reviewing proposals from various cities, selected the recently renamed Ottawa.

[70] At the time, this was the largest North American construction project ever attempted and Public Works Canada and its architects were not initially well prepared for the relatively shallow-lying bedrock and had to redesign architectural drawings, leading to delays.

[90] Prime Minister Mackenzie King hired French architect-planner Jacques Greber to design an urban plan for managing development in the National Capital Region, to make it more aesthetically pleasing and a location more befitting for Canada's political centre.

The decision to extend the O-Train, and to replace it with an electric light rail system, was a major issue in the 2006 municipal elections, where Chiarelli was defeated by businessman Larry O'Brien.

[110] In October 2012, the City Council approved the final Lansdowne Park plan, an agreement with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group that saw a new stadium, increased green space and housing and retail added to the site.

[120] Some of these communities are Burritts Rapids; Ashton; Fallowfield; Kars; Fitzroy Harbour; Munster; Carp; North Gower; Metcalfe; Constance Bay and Osgoode.

[115] Several towns are within the federally defined National Capital Region but outside the city of Ottawa municipal boundaries;[120] these include communities of Almonte, Carleton Place, Embrun, Kemptville, Rockland, and Russell.

[126] Many domestic buildings in Centretown are clad in red brick, with trim in wood, stone, or metal; variations are common, depending on the cultural heritage of the neighbourhoods and the time they were built.

[127] The skyline has been controlled by building height restrictions originally implemented to keep Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower at 92.2 m (302 ft) visible from most parts of the city.

[132][133][134] Ottawa has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb, Trewartha Dcbo/Dcbc)[135] with four distinct seasons and is between Zones 5a and 5b on the Canadian Plant Hardiness Scale.

[140] Predominate wind direction in Ottawa is from the West, Easterly air flow is more common during periods of wet weather as well as localized river/lake-effect cells on summer afternoons.

It was able to bypass the unnavigable sections of the Cataraqui and Rideau rivers and various small lakes along the waterway due to flooding techniques and the construction of 47 water transport locks.

[175] Although formally and administratively separate cities in two different provinces, Ottawa and Gatineau (along with several nearby municipalities) collectively constitute the National Capital Region, which is considered a single metropolitan area.

[176] One federal Crown corporation, the National Capital Commission, or NCC, has significant land holdings in both cities, including sites of historical and touristic importance.

[199] Ottawa's primary employers are the Public Service of Canada and the high-tech industry, although tourism and healthcare also represent increasingly sizeable economic activities.

[200] The national headquarters for many federal departments are in Ottawa, particularly throughout Centretown and in the Terrasses de la Chaudière and Place du Portage complexes in Hull.

Large technology companies such as Nortel, Corel, Mitel, Cognos, Halogen Software, Shopify and JDS Uniphase were founded in the city.

[185] Approximately ten percent of Ottawa's GDP is derived from finance, insurance and real estate whereas employment in goods-producing industries is only half the national average.

[222] Rural economic activity includes agriculture, retail sales, construction, forestry and mining (aggregates), tourism, manufacturing, personal and business services, and transportation, to name a few.

Traditionally, the ByWard Market (in Lower Town), Parliament Hill and the Golden Triangle (both in Centretown – Downtown) have been the focal points of the cultural scenes in Ottawa.

[287] The city is home to an assortment of amateur organized team sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, curling, rowing, ultimate, and horse racing.

It is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the east of downtown in Eastway Gardens (adjacent to O-Train Tremblay station) and serves Via Rail's Corridor Route.

The National Capital Commission manages ceremonial routes linking key attractions on both sides of the Ottawa River, including Confederation Boulevard.