North Vancouver is a waterfront city in the in the north shore of the Burrard Inlet that sits directly across from Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the smallest and the most urbanized of the three municipalities in the North Shore area. The city is popularly considered as a suburb of Vancouver despite having its own significant industry that includes shipping, film production and chemical production.

The city is served by several bus lines including a water bus line, which is operated by the Coast Mountain Bus Company. North Vancouver is connected to Vancouver with the aid of the Lion's Gate Bridge as well as Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrow Crossing. Lonsdale Avenue serves as the city's main street.

It is densely populated and is home to several residential high rise buildings, which are mostly located in Central and Lower Lonsdale. North Vancouver, together with West Vancouver and the Municipality of North Vancouver, makes up the North Shore.