Canada's capital bearhugs the southern bank of
the
Ottawa River, on
Ontario's eastern tip. It's a government town,
dominated physically and spiritually by the neo-Gothic Parliament Buildings. The air's clean, the streets are wide
and the people are friendly.The city has the usual plethora of impressive buildings common to capital cities: the
Canadian War Museum, the Royal Canadian Mint, various grand old homes inhabited by ministers of state and a swag of
museums to do justice to the country's icons: nature, aviation, science and technology, skiing and
agriculture.
Ottawa sits on the border of the province of Ontario in central Canada. It was made capital of the
British colonial Province of Canada in 1857. In the 20th century, a much larger Capital Region was created to serve as a
frame for Canada's Capital. Since 1969, Ottawa and Gatineau (two cities that face each other across the broad Ottawa
River) and the surrounding urban and rural communities have been formally recognized as
Canada's "capital area."
Attractions
Attractions in Ottawa tend to be very cultural and the neo-Gothic parliament buildings are definitely a must see when
visiting Ottawa This city has many museums, galleries and theatre which are a fine example of the city's enthusiasm for
its history and the arts. Given the city's geographical position, Ottawa is close some of Ontario's best ski resorts and
Quebec's top attractions. Being so close to Quebec, the best choice of restaurants in Ottawa, are French. However,
this is the capital city and it does enjoy a good variety of restaurants bringing flavourful foods from around the
world.
Area: 4,715 square kilometres
Population: 1.081million
Language: English and French
