National Capital Region (Canada)

Map of the National Capital Region (striped area)

The National Capital Region (French: Région de la capitale nationale) is an official federal name for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, and neighbouring Gatineau, Quebec, and the area near them. The National Capital Region has an area of 5,319 square kilometres that straddles the boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The National Capital Region covers an area of 6,287.03 square kilometres (2,427.44 square miles). It has a population of 1,235,324. The Ottawa part of the region is part of the eastern subregion of Ontario. The Ottawa-Gatineau CMA is the only CMA in Canada to include parts of two provinces.

The National Capital Region is not a separate political jurisdiction, although the National Capital Commission is deeply involved in political, cultural, and land use planning matters in the National Capital Region. Proposals have sometimes been made to separate the National Capital Region from its two respective provinces, and transform it into a separate capital district, like the District of Columbia in the United States or the Australian Capital Territory. Such proposals have never come close to passage, and there does not currently appear to be any political will or necessity to pursue this option.

Cities, towns, and populations within Ottawa-Gatineau CMA

Source: 2006 Census of Canada^[1]

City or Town	Population
Ontario
Clarence-Rockland	20,790
Ottawa	812,129
Russell	13,883
Quebec
Cantley	7,926
Chelsea	6,703
Denholm	604
Gatineau	242,124
La Pêche	7,477
L'Ange-Gardien	4,348
Pontiac	5,238
Val-des-Monts	9,539

Other towns within National Capital Region

While not officially in the CMA, the following municipalities (most of which are adjacent to the CMA) are included in the National Capital Region, due to their close economic and social ties with Ottawa.

Municipality	Population
Ontario
Alfred and Plantagenet	8,654
Arnprior	7,158
Beckwith	6,387
Carleton Place	9,453
Casselman	3,294
Mississippi Mills	11,734
North Dundas	11,095
North Grenville	14,198
North Stormont	6,769
The Nation	10,643
Quebec
Lochaber	456
Lochaber-Partie-Ouest	477
Low	852
Montebello	1,039
Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette	706
Papineauville	2,247
Plaisance	1,004
Thurso	2,436