Canada's Capital City
The capital of Canada is Ottawa. It is located in the province of Ontario, in the southeastern part of the country, sitting on the banks of the Ottawa River. As the national capital, it is home to Canada's parliament, its government institutions, and the official residences tied to the country's leadership.
Not the Biggest City
A common surprise is that Ottawa is not the largest city in Canada. Many people assume the capital must be the biggest or most famous city, and they often guess Toronto or Montreal. But Canada's largest city is Toronto, while Ottawa is considerably smaller. The capital was not chosen for its size, but for other reasons rooted in the country's history.
Why Ottawa Was Chosen
In the middle of the nineteenth century, the leaders of Canada could not agree on which city should be the permanent capital. Rival cities such as Toronto and Montreal each wanted the honor. To settle the dispute, the decision was handed to Queen Victoria. She selected Ottawa in 1857. It was a clever compromise: Ottawa sat near the border between English-speaking and French-speaking regions, and it was safely distant from the United States border, making it easier to defend.
A Capital on a River
Ottawa grew from humble beginnings. It started as a rough lumber town, originally named Bytown, built up around the construction of a canal. Today it is a modern capital, but the river and waterways that shaped its early days still run through the city. Across the river lies the city of Gatineau, in the province of Quebec, so the capital region itself bridges Canada's two largest language communities.
Source
This article was written using information from Wikipedia.