Ottawa

Ottawa, located in the southeastern corner of the Ontario province, is the capital of Canada in North America.http://www.ottawa.ca/visitors/about/index_en.html The city was incorporated in 1855 during its years as a major producer of lumber, but Ottawa's main economic activity today is in the public sector and high-tech industry.http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006008 Ottawa boasted a city population of 812,129 in 2006, making it the fourth largest city in Canada.http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506008&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= The residents of Ottawa speak a diverse set of languages; nearly 40 percent can speak both English and French, and over 20 percent have a mother tongue that is neither English nor French.http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506008&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=

In the Mercer 2010 Quality of Living Survey, Ottawa was ranked second best city in the Americas and 14th best in the world for quality of living.http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2010 Mercer measures quality of living using many factors, including political environment, economy, healthcare, public services, natural environment, schools, housing and recreation.http://www.mercer.com/referencecontent.htm?idContent=1380465 For Mercer's "eco-city" rating, which factors in water availability and potability, waste removal, sewage system, air pollution and traffic congestion, Ottawa was ranked third best in the world.http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2010#Ranking_Eco_Cities

The city of Ottawa was originally inhabited by the Ottawa, an Algonquin-speaking tribe residing north of Lake Huron before the arrival of Europeans in the 1600s.http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006007 After the British took over in 1759, settlers from New England flocked to the Ottawa area, attracted by the timber industry and the convenience of the Ottawa River.http://www.teskey.com/ottawa/index.htmhttp://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006008 In the early 1800s, residents began constructing the 300-kilometer Rideau Canal to open up lines of communication between Montreal and western Canada.http://www.teskey.com/ottawa/index.htm The waterway would serve as a way to exchange military supplies in the case of an attack from the United States.http://www.ottawa.ca/visitors/about/history_en.html The construction of the canal lasted from 1826 to 1832, during which time a diverse immigrant population of Irish and French-Canadians arrived to work and support the growing community.http://www.ottawa.ca/visitors/about/history_en.html The town, then called Bytown, had a thriving lumber industry that acted as the area's major economic activity for nearly a century.http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006007 Bytown was incorporated as Ottawa in 1855, two years before Queen Victoria selected the city to become the capital of Canada.http://www.ottawa.ca/visitors/about/history_en.html Construction on the Parliament buildings began shortly thereafter in 1859.http://www.ottawa.ca/visitors/about/history_en.html

Ottawa covers an area of 2,779 square kilometers (about 1,073 square miles), making it the fourth largest city in Canada.http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/health/publications/hsr/demographics_en.html The city is located at latitude 45 25'N and longitude 75 43'W, which is roughly the same latitude as Venice, Italy and Sapporo, Japan.http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=188http://www.ottawa.ca/visitors/about/quick_facts_en.html Ottawa is about 50 miles north of the border between Canada and New York state.http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=ottawa+canada&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

The city of Ottawa was founded along the Ottawa River, the chief tributary of the St. Lawrence River, on the provincial border of Ontario and Québec.http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006008 The Gatineau River, the Rideau River and the man-made Rideau Canal also cross through Ottawa, serving as important thoroughfares throughout the city's history.http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006008http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-24515-24517&lang=1 To Ottawa's north are the Gatineau Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-24515-24517&lang=1

• Rideau Canal: Historic waterway and UNESCO World Heritage site http://www.ottawatourism.ca/en/visitors/attractions/fast-facts-ottawa/370-fast-facts-rideau-canal

• Parliament Hill: The seat of Canadian government and the most visited Ottawa attractionhttp://www.ottawatourism.ca/en/visitors/attractions/fast-facts-ottawa/367-fast-facts-parliament

• Gatineau Park: 361 sq. kilometers of natural wilderness for hiking, cross-country skiing, camping, canoeing and swimminghttp://www.ottawatourism.ca/en/visitors/attractions/fast-facts-ottawa/360-fast-facts-gatineau-park

• ByWard Market: Historic farmers' market and shopping district that also hosts a varied selection of restaurants, cafés and barshttp://www.ottawatourism.ca/en/visitors/attractions/fast-facts-ottawa/347-fast-facts-byward-market

• Canadian Museum of Civilization: A museum devoted to 1,000 years of Canadian history http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14jzmgji16Q

• National Gallery of Canada: A comprehensive collection of Canadian and Inuit arthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14jzmgji16Q

• Saunders Farm: The world's largest collection of interactive hedge mazeshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14jzmgji16Q

• Scotiabank Place: The multi-purpose arena that hosts the home games for Ottawa's professional National Hockey League team, the Ottawa Senators.http://www.scotiabankplace.com/en/default.asp?scotiabankplace=17&urlkeyword=Ottawa%20Senators

• Paul Anka: Musician

• Dan Aykroyd: Actor

• Margaret Atwood: Author

• Keshia Chanté: Musician

• Tom Green: Actor

• Kristina Groves: Olympic speedskater and gold medalist

• Rich Little: Comedian

• Norm MacDonald: Comedian and actor

• Steve MacLean: Astronaut

• Alanis Morissette: Musician

• Sandra Oh: Actress

• Matthew Perry: Actor

• Princess Margriet of the Netherlandshttp://ottawastart.com/people.php

• Canada

• History of Canada

• Canada