Nepean Point is a hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, overlooking the Ottawa River, Parliament, the Museum of Civilization, and other features of downtown Ottawa and Gatineau. It is located between the National Gallery of Canada and Alexandra Bridge.
At the peak of the hill is a statue of French explorer Samuel de Champlain holding his famous astrolabe upsidedown. It was made by sculptor Hamilton MacCarthy in 1915.[1]
Previously, the statue also featured a kneeling First Nations (Anishinabe) scout, added in 1918 to "signify how the native people helped Champlain navigate through the waters of the Ottawa River", but this has been relocated to nearby Major's Hill Park.[2]
The small amphitheatre on the point is known as "Astrolabe Theatre", presumably a reference to Champlain.
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