Geography of Ottawa
This is the outline of the geography of the city of Ottawa, the capital of Canada. Ottawa's current borders were formed in 2001, when the former city of Ottawa amalgamated with the ten other municipalities within the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton. Ottawa is now a single-tiered census division, home to 1,017,449 people.
The city centre is located at the confluence of the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers. The Ottawa River forms the entire northern boundary of the city which it shares with the province of Quebec's municipalities of Pontiac and Gatineau. The northern boundary begins in the west at Arnprior and continues east to Rockland. The boundary then turns south in a straight line, separating the former Township of Cumberland and the City of Clarence-Rockland. It then turns west in another straight line separating the former Township of Cumberland with the municipalities of The Nation and Russell. It then turns south separating Russell from the former Township of Osgoode. That boundary runs south in a straight line, then turns west separating Osgoode from the municipality of North Dundas. That boundary runs west in a straight line before turning north separating Osgoode from the municipality of North Grenville. This is another straight line, running north until the Rideau River near Kemptville. The boundary follows the river upstream until almost reaching Merrickville. The boundary then runs in a northwest direction in a straight line with a number of jogs. It separates the municipalities of Montague, Beckwith and Mississippi Mills from the former townships of Marlborough, Goulbourn, Huntley and Fitzroy.
Topography
The highest point in Ottawa is above sea level, and is located SSE of Manion Corners. The lowest point in the city is the Ottawa River, at above sea level.Highest points by ward
| Ward | Highest point | Elevation |
| West Carleton-March Ward | SSE of Manion Corners | |
| Rideau-Jock Ward | N of Munster on Jinkinson Road | |
| Kanata South Ward | Glen Cairn Reservoir | |
| College Ward | Khymer Court | |
| Stittsville Ward | Rockson Crescent | |
| Kanata North Ward | Huntsville Drive | |
| Osgoode Ward | SE of Bank Street at Rideau Road | |
| Cumberland Ward | Cumberland Ridge Drive | |
| Barrhaven Ward | Cedarview Road | |
| Gloucester-Southgate Ward | Tom Roberts Avenue | |
| Knoxdale-Merivale Ward | Cedarview Road at Cedarhill Drive | |
| River Ward | Carlington Hill | |
| Bay Ward | Wesley Clover Parks | |
| Gloucester-South Nepean Ward | Osgoode Link Pathway at High Road | |
| Innes Ward | WSW of Forest Ridge Pumping Station | |
| Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward | Quarry Park | |
| Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward | Foxview Place | |
| Alta Vista Ward | Alta Vista Drive at Randall Avenue | |
| Capital Ward | Bank Street at Alta Vista Drive | |
| Orléans Ward | Clearcrest Crescent | |
| Kitchissippi Ward | Maitland Avenue Bridge | |
| Somerset Ward | Parliament Hill | |
| Rideau-Vanier Ward | Richelieu Park |
Geology
Many features of geologic interest are found in Ottawa.| Site | Feature |
| W. Erskine Johnston Public School | Glacially sculpted Precambrian gneiss outcrops |
| Kanata Centrum Shopping Centre | Sandstone and dolomite outcrops |
| Stony Swamp Conservation Area | Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone strata |
| Champlain Bridge | Stromatolite fossils |
| Westboro Beach | Stromatolite, orthocone and trace fossils |
| Transitway at Roosevelt Avenue | Stromatolite fossils |
| Tunney's Pasture | Cross-section of the Gloucester Fault |
| Geological Survey of Canada | Fossiliferous limestone outcrop |
| Hog's Back Falls | Ordovician sedimentary rocks and the Gloucester Fault |
| Mer Bleue Bog | Boreal peatland |
| Victoria Island | Dune bedforms and fossiliferous limestone |
| Lady Grey Drive | Ordovician limestone deposits |
| Pinhey's Point | Glacial erratics |
| Petrie Island | Sedimentary shoreline with imported Ordovician blocks |
| Carp Hills | Outcrops of the Canadian Shield |
| Pinhey Sand Dunes | Dunes from an ancient shoreline of the Champlain Sea |
| Cardinal Creek Karst | Paleozoic karst |
| Burnt Lands Alvar | Limestone alvar |
| Colonel By Valley | Shallow valley that descends into the Ottawa River |
| Nanny Goat Hill | Steep limestone escarpment |
Climate
Classification
Recent data
Historical data
Rivers and creeks
Tributaries of the Ottawa River :- Becketts Creek
- Cardinal Creek
- Taylor Creek
- Bilberry Creek
- Green's Creek
- *Mud Creek
- *Borthwick Creek
- **Nicolet Drain
- *Ramsay Creek
- *McEwan Creek
- Rideau River
- Rideau Canal
- *Brown's Inlet
- *Patterson Creek
- Graham Creek
- Still Water Creek
- Watts Creek
- Shirley's Brook
- Constance Creek
- Carp River
- Mississippi River
- *Cartwrights Creek
- *Cody Creek
- Madawaska River
- Sawmill Creek
- Nepean Creek
- Black Rapids Creek
- Mosquito Creek
- Jock River
- *Mahoney Creek
- *Nichols Creek
- *Kings Creek
- Mud Creek
- Stevens Creek
- Cranberry Creek
- McDermot Drain
- Brassills Creek
- Rideau Creek
- Bear Brook
- *South Indian Creek
- *Shaws Creek
- *McKinnons Creek
- North Castor River
- *Black Creek
- Middle Castor River
- South Castor River
Features of the Ottawa River
Features of the Rideau River
Waterfalls
- Chaudière Falls
- Hog's Back Falls
- Princess Louise Falls
- Rideau Falls
Lakes
- Brewer Park Pond
- Constance Lake
- Lac des Chats
- Dow's Lake
- Lac Deschênes
- Lake Madawaska
- McKay Lake
- Mud Lake
- Mud Pond
- Sand Pits Lake