• Population: 877,300

• Area: 2,796 kilometres or 1,080 square miles, 90 kilometres east to west

• Ottawa's area is almost 80 per cent rural

• Ottawa can be found at: Latitude 45° 19'N and Longitude 75° 40'W

• Approximately the same latitude as Venice (Italy), Bordeaux (France), and Sapporo (Japan)

• In 2001, the new City of Ottawa was created with the amalgamation of the Region of Ottawa-Carleton and 11 local municipalities: Cumberland, Gloucester, Goulbourn, Kanata, Nepean, Osgoode, Ottawa, Rideau, Rockcliffe Park, Vanier, and West Carleton.
   
• Blessed with more farmland than any other city in Canada, Ottawa’s farming revenues are more than Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary combined.
   
• As many as 10,000 jobs in the City's overall economy are directly and indirectly associated with agriculture, helping to make Ottawa the agricultural and economic centre of Eastern Ontario.
   
• Ottawa temperatures can range from 33°C (91°F) in summer to -40°C (-40°F) in winter, with average summer temperatures around 20°C (68°F) and average winter temperatures around -10°C (14°F).
   
• Families in Ottawa had the highest median incomes of any Canadian city in 2001.
   
• For the second consecutive year, 2005 saw the City of Ottawa rated the least expensive city in North America in which to live according to an international survey conducted by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
   
• The City of Ottawa has again received the highest possible AAA financial rating from Moody Investor Services in recognition of the City’s “effective fiscal planning, history of strong financial results and low debt level and associated debt servicing costs.”
   
• When it comes to everything from arts and culture to parks and recreation and police services,
  94 per cent of residents feel Ottawa is the best place to raise a family.
        
• Approximately 78 per cent of Ottawans ranked the city’s sports and recreation facilities as among the best anywhere.
      
• Almost 50 per cent of Ottawa residents hold a post-secondary degree, certificate or diploma making residents among the most highly educated in Canada.
     
• Ottawa’s active workforce comprises approximately: 78,000 in advanced technology, 73,000 in the federal government, 70,000 in health and education, and 57,000 in trades.
     
• Ottawa is one of the nation’s youngest cities with nearly half of the population under the age of 35.
    
• Languages spoken include English (50 per cent), French (32 per cent), and a host of other languages including Italian, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.
    
• Ottawa has the second-highest percentage of people who speak both French and English of any major Canadian city.
     
• Over 25 per cent of the City's population speaks a language other than French and English.
     
• Approximately 25 per cent of Ottawa’s residents were born outside of Canada. More than 20 per cent are members of visible minorities.
     
• Ottawa hosts more than 35 major festivals per year – including the Tulip Festival, Bluesfest and Winterlude.
     
• OC Transpo bus ridership was 88.8 million in 2004.
      
• Recent ridership surveys show that record numbers of Ottawa transit users are getting on board the O-Train (light rail), peaking at over 10,000 riders per day for the first time.
     
• 33,000 volunteers assist in providing City program and services.

Whether you wish to be active, or simply wish to watch, the Ottawa region has numerous recreational choices for you. Professional and junior league hockey, AAA baseball, and lots of other sporting events will entertain you. And with over 200 km of paved, interconnected cycling paths crisscrossing the Capital, the recreational cyclist is in heaven on our paths. Just minutes away is Gatineau Park, commonly referred to as “Ottawa’s playground”, where hiking, mountain biking, canoeing and swimming are popular in the summer, as are snow shoeing, dog sledding and skiing in winter.
 

Captiva Farms
Box 16, R.R. 2
Wakefield, QC J0X 3G0
Tel: (819) 459-2769
Fax: (819) 459-3517
Website: http://www.captivafarms.com/

Dows Lake Pavilion
1001 Queen Elizabeth Drive
Ottawa, ON K1S 5K7
Tel: (613) 232-1221
Fax: (613) 232-1245
Website: www.dowslake.com

Esprit Rafting Adventures
P.O. Box 463
Pembroke, ON K8A 6X7
Tel: (819) 683-3241
Fax: (819) 683-3641
Website: www.espritrafting.com

Fulton's Pancake House
& Sugar Bush
291- 6th Concession Rd. R.R.1
Pakenham, ON K0A 2X0
Tel: (613) 256-3867
Fax: (613) 256-2624
Website: www.fultonsfarm.com

Gerry & Isobel's Country Pleasures
14 Scott Road
Old Chelsea, QC J0X 2N0
Tel: (819) 827-4341
Fax: (819) 827-5489

Happy Trails Riding Stables Ltd.
5979 Leitrim Road
Carlsbad Springs, ON K0A 1K0
Tel: (613) 822-1482

Lafleche Caves / La Caverne Lafleche
818 Blackburn Rd.,
Val-des-Monts, QC J8N 4B7
Tel: (819) 457-4033
Fax: (819) 457-4033

MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre
3635, Hwy 17, Cumberland
Cumberland ON K4C 1G9
Tel: (613) 833-2080
Fax: (613) 833-0770
Website: www.ocdsb.edu.on.ca

Mont Cascades Golf Club
915 Mont Cascades Rd.
Cantley, QC J8V 3B2
Tel: (819) 459-2980
Fax: (819) 459-3562
Website: www.golf.montcascades.com

Mont Ste.Marie
76, chemin de la Montagne
Lac Ste. Marie, ON J0X 1Z0
Tel: (819) 467-5200
Fax: (819) 467-2370
1-800-567-1256 (CAN)
Website: www.montstemarie.com

Ottawa Outing Club & Travel
1-126, York Street
Ottawa, ON K1N 5T5
Tel: (613) 241-8747
Fax: (613) 241-8913
Website: www.outingclub.com

OWL Rafting Inc.
39 First Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1S 2G1
Tel: (613) 238-7238
Fax: (613) 646-2307
Website: http://www.owl-mkc.ca/

RiverRun Rafting & Paddling Centre
P.O. Box 179
Beachburg, ON K0J 1C0
Tel: 613 646-2252
Fax: 613 646-2958
1-800-267-8504 (CAN/USA)
Website: www.riverrunners.com

Turtle Island Tourism Company Inc.
12 Stirling Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1Y 1P8
Tel: 613 722-3811
Fax: 613 722-4667
Website: www.aboriginalexperiences.com

Wheelers Maple Products
R.R. 1, McDonalds Corners
ON K0G 1M0
Tel: (613) 278-2788
Fax: (613) 278-0178
Website: www.wheelersmaple.com

Resource Courtesy of OttawaConventions.ca
http://www.ottawa-conventions.com/sports_recreation_planners.html