Ostrava is a city located in the north-east of the Czech Republic. It serves as the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region and sits near the border with Poland. The city is situated at the confluences of four rivers: the Oder, Opava, Ostravice, and Lučina.
As the third largest city in the Czech Republic by both population and area, Ostrava has approximately 281,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest city in the region of Moravia and the largest city in the historical land of Czech Silesia, straddling the border between these two historic lands.
The wider conurbation surrounding Ostrava includes the towns of Bohumín, Havířov, Karviná, Orlová, Petřvald, and Rychvald. This urban area houses about 500,000 people, making it the largest urban area in the Czech Republic outside of the capital city, Prague.