ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Coat of arms of Ottawa

Hi there! So, a coat of arms is kind of like a special picture that shows important things about a place or a family. It's like a special symbol that people can use to represent themselves.

The coat of arms of Ottawa is the special symbol that represents the city of Ottawa in Canada. It has some really cool pictures on it that tell us things about the city.

First, there's a red shield in the middle with a white stripe across the top. The red shield is kind of like a big red square, and it's important because red is one of Canada's national colors. The white stripe on top is called a "chief" and it represents the Ottawa River, which is a really big river that flows through the city.

Next, there's a blue and white wavy line across the bottom of the shield. This represents the Rideau Canal, which is a really important waterway that runs through the city.

Above the shield, there's a helmet with a little crown on top. This is like a special hat that knights used to wear back in the olden days.

Finally, there are some animals on either side of the shield. On the left side, there's a bear. Bears are really important in Canada because they live in the wild in a lot of places. On the right side, there's a moose. Moose are also really important in Canada because they're really big and live in the forests.

So, if you see a picture of the coat of arms of Ottawa, you can tell that it shows some important things about the city, like the river and the canal, as well as some important animals that live there.
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