Ottawa is the capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest city. It is located in the Ottawa Valley on the eastern edge of the province of Ontario, right at the border with Quebec, about 400 km (250 miles) east of Toronto and 190 km (120 miles) west of Montreal. Unlike the capital cities of countries like the United States, Mexico, and Australia, there is no federal capital district in Canada: Ottawa is a municipality within the Province of Ontario.
Ottawa has a range of temperatures from a record high of 37.8¡ÆC (100¡ÆF) in the summers of 1986 and 2001 to a record low of -36.1¡ÆC (-33¡ÆF) being recorded in the winter of 1943, making it the second coldest capital city in the world (after Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia). This extreme range in temperature, allows Ottawa to boast a variety of annual activities and the requirement of a wide range of clothing.
Ottawa is served by VIA Rail passenger service, by a number of airlines that fly into Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (also known by its former name, Ottawa International) and by a number of long distance bus companies, including Greyhound.
Ottawa's main mass transit company is OC Transpo, a service provided by the City of Ottawa. The bus transit system includes the Transitway, a network of mostly grade-separated, extremely high-frequency, reserved bus rapid transit lanes with full stations instead of stops. There is also a pilot-project diesel light rail system called the "O-Train". See Ottawa Rapid Transit. Both OC Transpo and the Quebec-based Societe de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) operate bus services between Ottawa and Gatineau. A transfer or bus pass of one is accepted on the other without having to pay a top-up fare on regular routes.
Some of the notable buildings in Ottawa include the Parliament Buildings, where Canada's government resides; 24 Sussex Drive, the home of the Prime Minister of Canada; and Rideau Hall, the home of the Governor-General of Canada. Ottawa also has most of Canada's national museums, including the National Gallery of Canada, Canadian War Museum, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canada Aviation Museum and Canadian Museum of Nature. The Canadian Museum of Civilization is located across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec. Ottawa is also the home of the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Algonquin College, and La Cite Collegiale. Federal buildings in the National Capital Region are managed by the Public Works Canada, while most of the federal lands in the Region are managed by the National Capital Commission or NCC; its control of much undeveloped land gives the NCC a great deal of influence over the city's development.
Ottawa is home to two major league sports teams, the Ottawa Senators ice hockey team (established 1992) of the National Hockey League and the Ottawa Renegades (established 2002) football team of the Canadian Football League. The Senators play at Scotiabank Place and the Renegades at Frank Clair Stadium. Ottawa is also home to a minor league baseball team, the AAA farm team of the Baltimore Orioles, the Ottawa Lynx of the International League. Ottawa also has a major junior ice hockey team, the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. Ottawa's two major universities, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa both have athletic associations; the team names are the Carleton Ravens and the Ottawa Gee Gees respectively. Ottawa's top soccer team is the Ottawa Fury who play in the women's W-League and the men's USL Premier Development League. Harness and Horse racing can be found at Rideau Carleton Raceway off Albion Road and Auto racing can be found at the Capital City Speedway off Highway 7. Ottawa also has a professional women's hockey team, the Ottawa Raiders.
They hold an annual event Tulip Festival each May, when Ottawa receives a gift of several hundred thousand tulips from the royal family of the Netherlands. These are displayed throughout the city. Hope Volleyball Summerfest is the world's largest volleyball tournament with more than 25,000 players and spectators attending a gigantic beach party with funds going to local charities. Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual international animation festival featuring works of the film makers from all over the world.