Ottawa's Land Area: 1,073 Square Miles of Capital Region

The City of Ottawa covers 2,779 km² (1,073 sq mi) — making it Canada's largest municipality by land area (since 2001 amalgamation).

What That Includes

Urban core: Downtown, Centretown, ByWard Market, Glebe, Westboro — ~300 km².
Suburban expanses: Kanata, Barrhaven, Orléans, Stittsville — post-2001 growth engines.
Rural majority: ~1,800 km² — farmland, villages (Carp, Metcalfe, Osgoode, Richmond), Gatineau Park (NCC), Mer Bleue bog.

Comparative Context

Toronto: 630 km² (but GTA 7,125 km²).
Montreal: 431 km² (but CMA 4,258 km²).
Vancouver: 115 km² (but Metro 2,883 km²).
Ottawa-Gatineau CMA: 8,047 km² (cross-provincial).

Why So Large?

2001 amalgamation merged 11 municipalities + townships (Vanier, Rockcliffe Park, Gloucester, Nepean, Kanata, Cumberland, Goulbourn, Rideau, West Carleton, Osgoode, plus NCC lands). Created single-tier governance for 1M+ region.

Ottawa's size reflects political geography more than urban footprint — most residents live in <20% of the land area.