Dignified and stately, Ottawa balances the overwhelming presence of government with cultural variety and natural beauty. It was Queen Victoria who chose Ottawa as the country’s capital in 1857 after being inspired by romantic watercolour sketches of the budding town set on the banks of the Ottawa river. Since then the Rideau Canal, 70 municipal parks and national museums housing collections of indigenous and other Canadian art, enormous dinosaur fossils, and Canadian history have transformed the city into the sophisticated place it is today.