Situated at the junction of three major waterways, Ottawa is located in the Ottawa valley on the border of Ontario and Quebec. It lies on the south bank of the Ottawa River, where it meets the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal. Ottawa is approximately 400km (250 miles) east of Toronto and 190km (120 miles) west of Montreal.

Ottawa's latitude is 45.26'N and its longitude is 75.41'W. The city has approximately the same latitude as Venice (Italy), Bordeaux (France), Portland (Oregon), Sapporo (Japan). The area is 5318.36km2 (2053.43sq.mi.) and it is 80m (262ft) above sea level in the Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) time zone.

Close to the U.S. border, Ottawa is only a two hour flight away from over 200 million people.