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Otawa is the capital of Canada
and is the country's fourth
largest city. It is
located in the Ottawa Valley on
the eastern edge of the province
along the border of Ontario and
Quebec. Ottawa is 226 air
miles north of Toronto and 94
air miles west of Montreal.
Although it does not constitute
a separate administrative
district, Ottawa is part of the
officially designated National
Capital Region.
Ottawa is
situated on the south bank of the
Ottawa River and contains the
mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau
Canal. The oldest part of the city
(including what remains of Bytown) is
known as Lower Town and occupies an
area between the canal and the rivers.
Across the canal to the west lies
Centretown (often just called
"downtown"), which is the city's
financial and commercial hub. Between
here and the Ottawa River, the slight
elevation of Parliament Hill is home
to many of the capital's landmark
government buildings, and is the
Legislative seat of Canada.
The City
of Ottawa includes many urban areas.
The main one extends a considerable
distance to the east, west and south
of the centre, and includes the former
cities of Gloucester, Nepean and
Vanier, the former village of
Rockliffe Park and the suburban
communities of Manotick and Orleans.
In addition to the main urban area,
there is the Kanata urban area
consisting of the urbanized part of
the former city of Kanata and the
former village of Stittsville
(pop. 70,320). There are also a number
of satellite towns and rural
communities that are also urban areas
(urban fringes) that lie beyond the
greenbelt but are administratively
part of the Ottawa municipality. These
are Constance Bay (pop. 2,327);
Kars (pop. 1,539); Metcalfe
(pop. 1,610); Munster (pop.
1,390); Osgoode (pop. 2,571);
and Richmond (pop. 3,287).
Across
the Ottawa River, which forms the
border between Ontario and Quebec,
lies the city of Gatineau. Although
formally and administratively separate
cities in two separate provinces,
Ottawa and Gatineau (along with a
number of nearby municipalities)
collectively constitute the National
Capital Region, , with a combined
population exceeding one million
residents, and the area is considered
a single metropolitan area. One
federal crown corporation (the
National Capital Commission, or NCC)
has significant land holdings in both
cities - including sites of historical
and touristic importance. The NCC,
through its responsibility for
planning and development of these
lands, is an important contributor to
both cities.
Around
the main urban area is an extensive
greenbelt, administered by the
National Capital Commission for
conservation and leisure, and
comprising mostly forest, farmland and
marshland.Ottawa Airport
The
newly renovated and expanded
Macdonald-Cartier International
(airport code YOW) is Ottawa's
main airport with regular arrivals and
departures from most major Canadian
and many American cities. Services
outside North America, however, are
limited to a daily flight to London
Heathrow with Air Canada, less
frequent flights with Zoom Airlines to
London Gatwick and Glasgow (via
Halifax NS).
Macdonald-Cartier is easily reached by
public transit or taxi and most of the
major car rental agencies have a
presence at the airport terminal in
the parking garage. A taxi to downtown
Ottawa hotels should cost between $20
and $30. There are also hotels within
minutes of the airport and a less than
$10 taxi ride.
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