Ottawa is the capital of Canada. The city is situated on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River, opposite Gatineau, Quebec. Ottawa is Ontario's second-largest city (behind Toronto) and Canada's sixth-largest municipality with a population of just under a million. The Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area is the fifth-largest in Canada (behind Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver and Calgary).
De facto, the city is bilingual: English is the first language of a majority of the population, but French is the first language of roughly 15%. Ottawa is home to Canada's largest French-speaking population outside of Quebec. Staff in most stores and restaurants speak both well and, in general, bilingualism is common.
Ottawa is home to many of the world's cultures; thousands of immigrants from around the world now call Ottawa home. The city is probably best known as the nation's capital but has grown rapidly due to a booming high-tech business sector which has earned the city the name "Silicon Valley North".
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