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.[1]
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 (now in Ottawa) 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 (now in Ottawa). 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.
The highest point in Ottawa is 166m (545feet) above sea level, and is located 2.6km (01.6miles) SSE of Manion Corners (45.2347°N -76.0508°W).[2] The lowest point in the city is the Ottawa River, at 44m (144feet) above sea level.
| Ward | Highest point | Elevation (approx.) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 166m (545feet) | |||
| 8km (05miles) N of Munster on Jinkinson Road | 153m (502feet) | ||
| Glen Cairn Reservoir | 131m (430feet) | ||
| Khymer Court | 129m (423feet) | ||
| Rockson Crescent | 128m (420feet) | ||
| Huntsville Drive | 126m (413feet) | ||
| 1km (01miles) SE of Bank Street at Rideau Road | 120m (390feet) | ||
| Cumberland Ridge Drive | 120m (390feet) | ||
| 120m (390feet) | |||
| Tom Roberts Avenue | 119m (390feet) | ||
| Cedarview Road at Cedarhill Drive | 115m (377feet) | ||
| 115m (377feet) | |||
| Wesley Clover Parks | 114m (374feet) | ||
| Osgoode Link Pathway at High Road | 114m (374feet) | ||
| 200m (700feet) WSW of Forest Ridge Pumping Station | 114m (374feet) | ||
| Quarry Park | 113m (371feet) | ||
| Foxview Place | 106m (348feet) | ||
| Alta Vista Drive at Randall Avenue | 102m (335feet) | ||
| 96m (315feet) | |||
| Clearcrest Crescent | 93m (305feet) | ||
| Maitland Avenue Bridge | 89m (292feet) | ||
| 86m (282feet) | |||
| Richelieu Park | 75m (246feet) |
Many features of geologic interest are found in Ottawa.[3]
| 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 | |
| Boreal peatland | ||
| Dune bedforms and fossiliferous limestone | ||
| Lady Grey Drive | Ordovician limestone deposits | |
| Glacial erratics | ||
| Sedimentary shoreline with imported Ordovician blocks | ||
| 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 |
Tributaries of the Ottawa River (from east to west):
Tributaries of the Rideau River (from north to south):
Other rivers and creeks within City of Ottawa:
(from east to west)
(from north to south)