Ottawa is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River, around the mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau Canal. The oldest part of Ottawa is known as the Lower Town of Ottawa and occupies the area between the canal and the rivers. Across the canal lies the centre town of Ottawa, which is Ottawa’s financial and commercial hub.
Ottawa has are many urban areas including the former cities of Glocester, Nepean and Vanier plus the former village of Rockcliffe Park and the suburban communities of Manotick and Orleans.
Around the main urban area of Ottawa is an extensive greenbelt, administered by the National Capital Commission for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest and marshland. This is the area, which attracts most of the tourists to Ottawa for simple beauty and serenity of the atmosphere.
Just across the Ottawa River, which forms the border between Ontario and Quebec lies the city of Gatineau. Though this city is administered separately, but the two cities fall within the remit of the National Capital Commission, and therefore, for many purposes are considered a single metropolitan area and they are known by the name of the “National Capital Region”.