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

WardHighest pointElevation
West Carleton-March Ward SSE of Manion Corners
Rideau-Jock Ward N of Munster on Jinkinson Road
Kanata South WardGlen Cairn Reservoir
College WardKhymer Court
Stittsville WardRockson Crescent
Kanata North WardHuntsville Drive
Osgoode Ward SE of Bank Street at Rideau Road
Cumberland WardCumberland Ridge Drive
Barrhaven WardCedarview Road
Gloucester-Southgate WardTom Roberts Avenue
Knoxdale-Merivale WardCedarview Road at Cedarhill Drive
River WardCarlington Hill
Bay WardWesley Clover Parks
Gloucester-South Nepean WardOsgoode Link Pathway at High Road
Innes Ward WSW of Forest Ridge Pumping Station
Beacon Hill-Cyrville WardQuarry Park
Rideau-Rockcliffe WardFoxview Place
Alta Vista WardAlta Vista Drive at Randall Avenue
Capital WardBank Street at Alta Vista Drive
Orléans WardClearcrest Crescent
Kitchissippi WardMaitland Avenue Bridge
Somerset WardParliament Hill
Rideau-Vanier WardRichelieu Park

Geology

Many features of geologic interest are found in Ottawa.
SiteFeature
W. Erskine Johnston Public SchoolGlacially sculpted Precambrian gneiss outcrops
Kanata Centrum Shopping CentreSandstone and dolomite outcrops
Stony Swamp Conservation AreaCambrian-Ordovician sandstone strata
Champlain BridgeStromatolite fossils
Westboro BeachStromatolite, orthocone and trace fossils
Transitway at Roosevelt AvenueStromatolite fossils
Tunney's PastureCross-section of the Gloucester Fault
Geological Survey of CanadaFossiliferous limestone outcrop
Hog's Back FallsOrdovician sedimentary rocks and the Gloucester Fault
Mer Bleue BogBoreal peatland
Victoria IslandDune bedforms and fossiliferous limestone
Lady Grey DriveOrdovician limestone deposits
Pinhey's PointGlacial erratics
Petrie IslandSedimentary shoreline with imported Ordovician blocks
Carp HillsOutcrops of the Canadian Shield
Pinhey Sand DunesDunes from an ancient shoreline of the Champlain Sea
Cardinal Creek KarstPaleozoic karst
Burnt Lands AlvarLimestone alvar
Colonel By ValleyShallow valley that descends into the Ottawa River
Nanny Goat HillSteep limestone escarpment

Rivers and creeks

Tributaries of the Ottawa River :
Tributaries of the Rideau River :
Other rivers and creeks within City of Ottawa:

Waterfalls

Lakes