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| General
Introduction |
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 LocationThe
National Capital Region (NCR) situated on the Ottawa River, is a common
border shared by the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It comprises
of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton on the Ontario side,
and the Communaute urbaine de l'Outaouais (Aylmer, Gatineau and Hull)
on its Quebec side, with an total area of 4,662 square kilometres
(1,800 square miles). The NCR is located at the juction of the Ottawa
River, the Rideau River (flowing between Kingston on Lake Ontario
and Ottawa) and the Gatineau
River (flowing from northern Quebec).It is approximately 200 km from
Montreal and 400 km from Toronto, Canada's two largest cities. |
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Ottawa's
weather varies greatly with the change of seasons. Winters can be
very cold, while summers are warm and humid.In detail:Spring average:
11 C (52F)
Winter average: -10C
(43F) Summer average: 21C
(70F) Fall average: 8C
(46F) Snow begins to fall in November, and usually lasts to the
next March. Fortunately, snow removal procedures are excellent,
and the city rarely shuts down because of snowstorms.
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| History |
 History
of Canada's Capital Region could be traced back to 6,500 years ago.
The name "Ottawa" is generally thought to be the anglicized form of
the name of an aboriginal people living west of Ottawa, generally
referred to as Outauac, Outaouais, or Outaouit. The
first European explorer arrived at the Ottawa River in 1610. And a
group of colonists from Massachusetts settled on the north side of
the river below the Chaudiere Falls and called their settlement "Wright's
Town" (now the City of Hull) in 1800. In 1826, Lieutenant-Colonel
John By of the Royal Engineers
arrived to begin construction of the Rideau Canal, and almost at the
same time Bytown (later called Ottawa) was marked by an official.
In 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be the capital city of the
United
Province of Canada, and the Parliament Buildings for the Province
of Canada began in 1860. Six years later, the construction was completed,
just in time for a new political era -- Confederation in 1867. In
1958, the National Capital Region was officially defined as an area
of 4,600 square kilometres, bridging Quebec and Ontario and including
27 municipalities, two of which are the cities of Ottawa and Hull.
Now Ottawa is noted for more than 70 municipal parks, tree-lined streets
and noble landmarks. |
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