Ottawa is the capital of Canada, and the country's fourth largest city. It is located in the Ottawa Valley on the eastern edge of the province of Ontario, right at the border with Quebec, about 400 km (250 miles) east of Toronto and 190 km (120 miles) west of Montreal. It is a city on the banks of the Ottawa River, a major waterway that forms the border between the two provinces.

Unlike the capital cities of countries like the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia, 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 officially-designated National Capital Region which includes neighbouring Quebec municipalities such as Gatineau. The population of the city proper is 808,391, while the population of the larger Census Metropolitan Area is 1,146,790 (2004). The mayor of Ottawa is Bob Chiarelli.