Editing York (section)

===Location===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
! Place
! Distance
! Direction
! Relation
|-
| [[London]]
| 280 km<ref>{{cite web|title=Distance from City of London to York|url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-city-of-london-to-york|access-date=20 July 2022|website=Distance Calculator|archive-date=20 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720155206/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-city-of-london-to-york|url-status=live}}</ref>
| South-east
| Capital
|-
| [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]]
| 90 km<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from York to Lincoln |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-lincoln-2-to-york |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720155206/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-lincoln-2-to-york |url-status=live}}</ref>
| South-east
| Next nearest historic [[county town]]
|-
| [[Middlesbrough]]
| 70 km<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from York to Middlesbrough |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Middlesbrough-to-york |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720155207/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Middlesbrough-to-york |url-status=live}}</ref>
| North
| Largest place in the county
|-
| [[Ripon]]
| 35 km<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from York to Ripon |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-ripon-to-york |access-date=8 May 2022 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=12 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112005256/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-ripon-to-york |url-status=live}}</ref>
| North-west
| Next nearest city
|-
| [[Leeds]]
| 35 km<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Leeds-to-york|title=Distance from Leeds to York|access-date=8 May 2022|website=Distance Calculator|archive-date=26 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726155223/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-leeds-to-york|url-status=live}}</ref>
| South-west
| Next nearest city
|}
{{Geographic location
| Centre = York
| North = [[Helmsley]], [[Northallerton]], [[Middlesbrough]]
| Northeast = [[Malton, North Yorkshire|Malton]], [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]]
| East = [[Pocklington]], [[Bridlington]]
| Southeast = [[Market Weighton]], [[Kingston upon Hull]]
| South = [[Selby]], [[Doncaster]]
| Southwest = [[Tadcaster]], [[Leeds]]
| West = [[Wetherby]], [[Knaresborough]], [[Harrogate]]
| Northwest = [[Ripon]], [[Masham]]
}}

York lies in the [[Vale of York]], a flat area of fertile arable land bordered by the [[Pennines]], the [[North York Moors]] and the [[Yorkshire Wolds]]. The city was built at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss on a terminal [[moraine]] left by the [[Last Glacial Period|last ice age]].<ref name="Hall-25">

{{cite book |last=Hall |first=Richard |title=English Heritage: Book of York |edition=1st |year=1996 |publisher=B.T.Batsford Ltd |isbn=0-7134-7720-2 |page=25}}</ref>

[[File:Tour boats on the River Ouse.jpg|thumb|Tour boats on the [[River Ouse, Yorkshire|Ouse]]|200x200px]]
[[File:River Foss (19380846674).jpg|thumb|The [[River Foss]]|200x200px]]

During Roman times, the land surrounding the Ouse and Foss was marshy, making the site easy to defend. The city is prone to flooding from the River Ouse, and has an extensive network of flood defences with walls along the river, and a liftable barrier across the Foss where it joins the Ouse at the "[[Bridges of York#The Blue Bridge|Blue Bridge]]". In October and November 2000, York experienced the worst flooding in 375 years; more than 300 homes were flooded.<ref name="dmcbflood">{{cite web |title=The impact of the October–November 2000 floods on contaminant metal dispersal in the River Swale catchment, North Yorkshire, UK |url=http://www.aber.ac.uk/iges/staff/Macklin%20files/HP%20Dennis%20et%20al.%202003.pdf |publisher=Wiley InterScience |year=2002 |last1=Dennis |first1=Ian A. |last2=Macklin |first2=Mark G. |last3=Coulthard |first3=Tom J. |last4=Brewer |first4 =Paul A. |page=1 |access-date=20 April 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071129111926/http://www.aber.ac.uk/iges/staff/Macklin%20files/HP%20Dennis%20et%20al.%202003.pdf |archive-date= 29 November 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In December 2015, the flooding was more extensive and caused major disruption.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/york-floods-hundreds-evacuated-and-swathes-of-historic-city-underwater-as-rivers-reach-record-levels-a6787271.html|title=York floods: Hundreds evacuated and swathes of historic city underwater as rivers reach record levels|work=The Independent|date=27 December 2015|access-date=19 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820215349/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/york-floods-hundreds-evacuated-and-swathes-of-historic-city-underwater-as-rivers-reach-record-levels-a6787271.html|archive-date=20 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The extreme impact led to a personal visit by Prime Minister [[David Cameron]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/weather/12071198/UK-floods-York-Leeds-Manchester-live-updates.html|title=Storm Frank: Jeremy Corbyn explains why he has only just turned up in the North – 'I didn't want to get in the way' – live|work=The Telegraph|date=31 December 2015|access-date=19 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151228104411/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/weather/12071198/UK-floods-York-Leeds-Manchester-live-updates.html|archive-date=28 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Much land in and around the city is on flood plains too flood-prone for development other than agriculture. The ''[[Clifton Ings|ings]]'' are flood meadows along the Ouse, while the ''[[Strays of York|strays]]'' are open common grassland in various locations around the city.