The City Of Canals

Venice, the capital of Veneto and of the province of Venice is commonly referred to as the ‘city of canals'. The boundary of the city extends over a number of small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. Venice was established fifteen hundred years ago on a group of mudflats situated in the center of a lagoon. Over a period of time it rose to become a major European trading post for ships coming from the West as well as the East. At the height of its prosperity, it controlled a vast empire that was spread across the north to the Dolomites and spanned the sea as far as Cyprus. The rapid increase in population followed an equal increase in wealth. The Venetian Republic grew as a major sea power and proved to be an important platform for the Crusades. Its contribution in the development of commerce (especially the spice trade) and art in the Renaissance was extremely significant.

The population of Venice mainly comprises of Italians, Turks, Moldavians, Ukrainians and Romanians. The city of Venice is famous all over the world for its canals. It is constructed on a cluster of 118 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow tarn. Around 400 bridges connect the island on which the city is built. The canals perform the function of roads in the old center, and every form of transport is either on water or on foot. Rail services were introduced in Venice in the 19th century. The 20th century further witnessed an introduction of an automobile causeway and parking lot. Venice is considered to be Europe's largest urban car free area. It now enjoys the status of being Europe's only sizable city in the 21st century, which functions completely without motorcars or trucks. It is a beautiful city and has a number of attractions that draw in great numbers of tourists all through the year.