What is the capital of Canada?
Ottawa sits at the confluence of the Ottawa and Rideau rivers in southeastern Ontario, directly across the water from Gatineau, Quebec.
Ottawa is the capital and seat of government of Canada, a role it has held since 1857. Canada itself has an estimated population of 41,651,653 (2025).
Ottawa is not the largest city in Canada. That is Toronto, which makes Canada one of the countries whose capital is not their biggest city.
Ottawa at a glance
| City population | 1,017,449 (2021 census) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 1,488,307 (2021 census) |
| Country | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Capital since | 1857 |
| Largest city in Canada | Toronto |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| Currency | Canadian dollar (CAD) |
About Ottawa
Ottawa has been the capital of Canada since 1857, when Queen Victoria chose the then-modest lumber town as the capital, partly as a compromise between English- and French-speaking Canada and for its defensible distance from the United States border.
Ottawa is only Canada's fourth-largest city; Toronto and Montreal are much larger.
Straddling the Ontario–Quebec border, it is a largely bilingual city and the home of Canada's Parliament.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Ottawa.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Canada?
Is Ottawa the largest city in Canada?
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Canada on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.