Ottawa
Ottawa Ontario is the capital city of Canada, located at the confluence of the Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau rivers in southeastern Ontario. The population as of 2006 was 812,129 [1]. In addition to being home to much of Canada's Civil Service, Ottawa's economy has a large "high tech" sector and is home to two major universities, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.
Parliament Hill
The Canadian Parliament is situated on Parliament Hill, a grouping Gothic Revival buildings, featuring Centre Block and the landmark Peace Tower.
Capital region
Ottawa is part of the National Capital Region, which includes the Quebec municipality of Gatineau, on the other side of the Ottawa River.
History
Formerly known as Bytown, Ottawa was chosen as the capital by Queen Victoria in 1958, after the previous capital building in Montreal was burned by an angry mob.[2]
The original Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa was destroyed by fire on February 3, 1916. The House of Commons and Senate were temporarily relocated to the recently constructed Victoria Memorial Museum, currently the Canadian Museum of Nature, located about 1 km south of Parliament Hill on Metcalfe Street. A new Centre Block was completed in 1922, the centrepiece of which is a dominant Gothic revival styled Peace Tower.
Climate
Ottawa has the, sometimes unwelcome, distinction of being one of the coldest capital cities in the world in terms of mean January temperature. Ottawa ranks third behind Ulaanbaatar,Mongolia and Astana, Kazakhstan[3].
References
- ↑ Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data. 2006 Canadian Census. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
- ↑ Walking Tour of Old Montreal. Vehicule Press. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
- ↑ About.com -Coldest Capital Cities. Is Ottawa the coldest capital?