Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. The city is the second largest in the province of Ontario. Ottawa is located on the south bank of the River Ottawa, to which it owes its name. Ottawa’s very name is rooted in the ancient word for people from the tribe of Algonquin and translates to trade. The population is around 812, 000 people.

In the place where today lies the valley of Ottawa, for many centuries people from the Algonquin tribe lived. Before Europeans arrived, the people of the Algonquin tribe ruled here. They traded with wood and leather.

Ottawa is actually a village founded by Frenchmen and Irishmen. Just because of that, there are two spoken languages - English and French.

The first European traveler who passed through Ottawa, was Étienne Brûlé. The first settlement was established in 1800 year. Philemon Wright brought with him twenty-five workers, who arrived there with their families. He created a village on the north bank of the River Ottawa. The first name of Ottawa was Bytown. In 1832 residents were Bytown were a thousand. In 1855 the city adopted a new name - Ottawa. In 1857 Ottawa was chosen as the capital of the Province of Canada by Queen Victoria.

Gradually the city began to build mills that made their owners rich. Railroads came to Ottawa in 1854. In 1870 was launched the public transport system. Trams appeared too, but after twenty years. In 1900 a spectacular fire destroyed nearly half the buildings in Hull. The parliament building was destroyed by fire in 1916. The Senate had to be moved to the Museum of Victoria.

The town center, which is located where once Bytown was, is located between the river and Rideau canal. Ottawa is often shaken by earthquakes of great magnitude. In the 200-year history, the harshest earthquake in Ottawa was a magnitude of 5, 2. The last major earthquake was in June 2010 - a magnitude five.

The town is influenced by different architectural styles. There are strict as simple buildings and buildings influenced by the Romantic era. The parliament building is Gothic with a certain influence. In Ottawa, conservatism reigns in high buildings, especially in terms of skyscrapers. The highest building in town is Place de Ville, which rises to one hundred and twelve meters in height.

One of the greatest sights in the city of Ottawa is the Canadian National Gallery and the Canadian War Museum. The city has a Museum of Natural History, which was renovated in 2010. Tourists are always attracted by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, which was built for the sum of three hundred and forty million dollars.

Ottawa has a reputation for being the third cleanest city in the world.