Verbano-Cusio-Ossola is the northernmost province in the Italian region of Piedmont. It was created in 1996 through the fusion of three distinct regions which had previously been part of the Province of Novara. The area flanking the western shore of Verbano (or Lago Maggiore) forms the eastern part of the province; Cusio (or Lago d'Orta) and its environs form the southern part; while the north and east of the province consists of the Ossola, a region of Alpine mountains and valleys. The province has a total population of some 160,000, distributed over an area of 2,255 km², with the biggest population centres being its capital Verbania on the shores of Lago Maggiore, Domodossola the main town of the Ossola, and Omegna at the northern end of Lago d'Orta.