  The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the observatory for ground-based
gamma-ray astronomy that will shape the domain of TeV astronomy for the next
decades. CTA will comprise more than 100 imaging air Cherenkov telescopes
deployed on two sites, one in the northern hemisphere on La Palma and one in
the southern hemisphere in Chile. A large fraction of CTA's observing time will
be apportioned through a competitive proposal-driven time allocation scheme
that is open to the scientific community. Hence CTA will become an astronomical
tool that complements other large ground- and space-based observatories that do
and will exist at other wavelengths and for other messengers. In this
contribution I will present the CTA Observatory, its main characteristics, and
the current status of the construction project. First light was already
obtained by prototype CTA telescopes and cameras, and deployment of the CTA
arrays will start soon. The science analysis software is already in good shape,
and available to the wider community for preparing CTA science and data
analysis.
