The Cherenkov Telescope Array.

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.