Parliament Hill (colloquially The Hill, in French: Colline du Parlement) is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings – the parliament buildings – serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada, and contains a number of architectural elements of national symbolic importance. Parliament Hill attracts approximately 3 million visitors each year.
Originally the site of a military base in the 18th and early 19th centuries, development of the site into a governmental precinct began in 1859, after Bytown was chosen by Queen Victoria as the capital of the Province of Canada. Following a number of extensions to the parliament and departmental buildings, and a fire in 1916 that destroyed the Centre Block, Parliament Hill took on its present form with the completion of the Peace Tower in 1927. Since 2002, an extensive $1 billion renovation and rehabilitation project has been underway throughout all of the precinct's buildings; work is not expected to be complete until after 2020.
On January 1, 1967, Lester B. Pearson launched Canada's 100th anniversary celebrations by lighting the Centennial Flame for the first time.
Surrounded by the shields of the Canadian provinces and territories, and joined by the water of the fountain, the Centennial Flame symbolizes Canada's unity from sea to sea.
The years inscribed on the border of the fountain, corresponding to the shield above, indicate when the province or territory joined Confederation. Starting at 1870, we have the shield of Manitoba. Moving clockwise, the order is Saskatchewan, 1905; Alberta, 1905; British Columbia, 1871; Yukon, 1898; Northwest Territories, 1870; Newfoundland, 1949; Prince Edward Island, 1873; Nova Scotia, 1867; New Brunswick, 1867; Quebec, 1867; Ontario, 1867.
Every day, visitors throw coins into the fountain. An Act passed by Parliament in 1991 ensures that those coins go to fund research by and about Canadians with disabilities. The coins are collected and transferred to the Comptroller of the House of Commons, who administers the Centennial Flame Research Award Fund, which recognizes and publicizes the achievements of Canadians with disabilities.
Public Works and Government Services Canada is responsible for the operation and maintenance of this important national symbol. Twice annually the flame is shut off for a period of one week, in the spring and the fall. During the fall, water is replaced with a non-toxic glycol to prevent freeze-up.
哈哈哈哈 O(∩_∩)O哈哈~ 好久不来了，不小心看了一眼自己主页，发现自动关联了自己以往发过的帖，点进这个看了一眼，笑个半死。。。敢情我当初还发过这么搞笑的东西啊，我自己完全不记得了 
雷达卡
发表于 2009-6-24 06:22:28
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千斤顶
发表于 2009-6-24 06:41:53
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