Ottawa is Canada’s capital, in the east of southern Ontario, near the city of Montréal and the U.S. border. Sitting on the Ottawa River, it has at its centre Parliament Hill, with grand Victorian architecture and museums such as the National Gallery of Canada, with noted collections of indigenous and other Canadian art. The park-lined Rideau Canal is filled with boats in summer and ice-skaters in winter. Ottawa is the fourth largest city in Canada. Ottawa was originally called Bytown named for Colonel John By, the engineer who oversaw the construction of the Rideau Canal. In 1855 Bytown was incorporated and became Ottawa. In 1857 Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be the capital of Canada.
Historical, Cultural facts & Religion
Ottawa, the city, capital of Canada, located in south-eastern Ontario. In the eastern extreme of the province, Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River across from Gatineau, Quebec, at the confluence of the Ottawa (Outaouais), Gatineau, and Rideau rivers. Culture of Ottawa- Get complete information about culture and festivals in Ottawa. Know about cultural activities, festivals and religion of Ottawa. Religion. In the 2011 Canadian census, 65.4 percent of the population belonged to Christian denominations, the most common being Roman Catholicism at 38.4%. Non-Christian religions are also very well established in Ottawa, the largest being Islam: 6.7%, Hinduism: 1.4%, Buddhism: 1.3%, and Judaism: 1.2%.
Brief City History
Ottawa, city, capital of Canada, located in south-eastern Ontario. In the eastern extreme of the province, Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River across from Gatineau, Quebec, at the confluence of the Ottawa (Outaouais), Gatineau, and Rideau rivers. The Ottawa River (some 790 miles [1,270 km] long), the principal tributary of the St. Lawrence River, was a key factor in the city’s settlement and development; its watershed, covering more than 57,000 square miles (148,000 square km), facilitated the transport of resources such as furs, timber, and minerals from the region. The river’s Chaudière Falls, just west of the Rideau Canal, while initially a navigational hazard for the fur trade and later for the transport of logging rafts, ultimately proved to be an asset in the production of hydroelectric power for the city and a boon to the growth of the industry. Originally a trading and lumbering community that grew into a town of regional significance, Ottawa was named the capital of the Province of Canada in 1857 and retained that status when Canada became a dominion within the British Commonwealth in 1867. Because of its location on the boundary between English-speaking Ontario and French-speaking Quebec and its position as the national capital, Ottawa is one of the most bilingual cities in the country. Area, 1,077 square miles (2,790 square km); Ottawa-Gatineau metro. area, 2,427 square miles (6,287 square km). Pop. (2011) 883,391; Ottawa-Gatineau metro. area, 1,254,919; (2016) 934,243; Ottawa-Gatineau metro. area, 1,323,783.The earliest inhabitants of the Ottawa region were members of the Algonquin First Nation (Native Americans), who established settlements in the Ottawa River valley. The tribe was known as the Ottawa (Outaouais), however, settled in the area for only a short period during the mid-1600s; their traditional territory was considerably farther west on Lake Huron. They were well known as traders (the name Ottawa is believed to be derived from an Algonquian word meaning “to trade”), and they took part in the local fur trade.
The first descriptions of Ottawa’s future site were written in 1613 by the founder of New France, Samuel de Champlain. The rivers served as passageways for explorers and fur traders over the following two centuries. In 1763 France ceded all of New France east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain under the Treaty of Paris. The Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815) increased Britain’s need for shipbuilding timber, and the Ottawa River valley offered just such resources. In 1800 a group of farmers from Massachusetts led by Philemon Wright established the area’s first permanent town, Wrightsville, north of the Ottawa River. (It was incorporated in 1875 as the city of Hull, now part of Gatineau.) Wright began harvesting trees in 1806, giving rise to a timber trade that attracted lumberjacks and other itinerant workers. Permanent settlement on the south bank of the river did not occur until the following decade, when, during the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States, it became apparent that the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Kingston, Ontario, was vulnerable to attack as both a military and an economic target. The British proposed turning the Rideau River into a canal to serve as an alternate shipping and transportation route, diverting traffic up the Ottawa River to Chaudière Falls and back down to Kingston. Lieut. Col. John By of the Royal Engineers was in charge of constructing the more than 126-mile- (203-km-) long canal (1826–32). He also surveyed and laid out a townsite on the south bank as a place of residence for his workers and himself; that village became known as Bytown. It was incorporated as a town in 1850 and as the city of Ottawa in 1855. The Rideau Canal was never used as a military route, but its importance in the transportation of timbers, goods, and people was the main factor in the city’s early growth, especially during the period of high U.S. demand for forest products that lasted through the 1800s. Political unrest within Britain’s Canadian colonies (including armed rebellion in 1837) resulted in Britain’s unification of the separate colonies of Upper and Lower Canada into one province, the Province of Canada (1841). When it came time to designate a capital for united Canada, however, political quarrels between rival cities, such as between Quebec City and Toronto and between Montreal and Kingston, induced leaders to call upon Queen Victoria to settle the question. The queen selected Ottawa in late 1857. Although Ottawa was a strong candidate because of its location and its accessibility by rail, the choice still surprised many, given the city’s relatively small size and its identification primarily with the processing and distribution of lumber. When the Dominion of Canada was formed a decade later, Ottawa remained the capital, and it continued to grow as a major administrative centre.
Language (s) Written & Spoken
The city offers municipal services in both of Canada’s official languages (Canadian English and Canadian French). Nearly 300,000 people, or 37% of Ottawa’s population, can speak both languages, As such, it is the largest city in Canada where municipal services are offered in both English and French.
Important Types of Commerce in Ottawa
The major Job Industries In Ottawa is tourism. The Ottawa tourism scene is saturated with travelers, sightseers, visitors and newcomers all year long. Healthcare & Public Service. In Canada, the public service and healthcare industries are the most important fields to work in. Technology. Manufacturing & Construction.
Language Services US and others will provide working with Ottawa
Although the de facto language of Ottawa is English. Ottawa is a culturally diverse city with many different languages. Businesses in Ottawa need translation services in several fields including legal, government, mining, life sciences, financial, marketing, IT & technology, manufacturing, defense and corporate communications when they localize official documents, marketing collaterals, technical documentation, Websites & mobile apps, Software & web-based tools, and Video & audio.
Looking for an English translation company? Look no further. American Language Services (AML-Global) offers certified translations, native interpreting services, and turn-key localization solutions for any language. Call us today @ 1-800-951-5020 for further information, visit our website https://www.alsglobal.net/ or for a quick quote click http://alsglobal.net/quick-quote.php.
