Canada is a country with rapid growth of the population. It is mainly concentrated in large cities. The most important among them is the capital of the country, Ottawa. It is situated on the picturesque bank of the Ottawa River. One third of its population is descendants of English and French immigrants. Before the colonization the Ottawa region was an Indian trading centre. The name of the city comes from the Indian word meaning "trade". For a very long time Ottawa was a fur trading centre. The suburbs of the city house different industrial factories: electronic enterprises, food processing factories, paper mills and others. Ottawa is called a city of bridges. There are more than 20 bridges in the city. Ottawa is famous for its walks, along which about a million of tulips bloom in spring.
Toronto, one of the largest cities, is the home of leading banks and corporations. It is the major industrial centre of the country. Toronto is a port on Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes.
Another huge port of Canada is Montreal, situated on the St Lawrence River. More than 5000 freight ships come to that port every year. Three universities are situated in the city. It is also one of the shopping and cultural centres of the country. Vancouver is a garden city. It is a very picturesque city, which lies between snow-capped mountains and an ocean bay in the west of Canada. It is the largest port on the Pacific coast and the centre of Canadian trade.