Vancouver is a city in southwestern British Columbia, situated on a peninsula opposite Vancouver Island.

The city is bordered by Burrard Inlet on the north, the Strait of Georgia on the west, and the Fraser River on the south.

Vancouver is located about 42 km (26 mi) northwest of the United States border.

The city is Canada’s third largest metropolitan region (after Toronto and Montréal) and is a leading Pacific Coast seaport and the main commercial, manufacturing, financial, tourist, and cultural center of British Columbia.

Occupying a picturesque site near the Coast Mountains, Vancouver is a cosmopolitan center with numerous large buildings. Among those considered to have special architectural merit are

• Robson Square and the Provincial Court House, designed by local architect Arthur Erickson;
• Cathedral Place; and
• the Vancouver Public Library, designed by Canadian architect Moshe Safdie.

Older buildings of note include

• the art deco Marine Building (1929-1930) and
• the "Chateau Style" Hotel Vancouver (1928-1939).

Other points of interest include

• Granville Island, a former industrial-warehouse district in False Creek, converted into a mix of buildings for commercial, cultural, and artistic uses and anchored by a public market;
• the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens;
• Chinatown, the traditional center of one of the largest Chinese communities in North America; and
• Gastown, a restoration of an old section of the city dating from the late 19th century.

Beyond the city boundary to the east lie the communities of Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, and New Westminster; beyond them, an outer suburb, Surrey.

South of the Fraser River’s north arm is Richmond, and Delta lies across the main channel. North Vancouver and West Vancouver lie across Burrard Inlet. Together, these areas (and other smaller municipalities) make up the Vancouver metropolitan area.