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Welcome to British Columbia! |  |
| British Columbia, is located on the West Coast of Canada and is renowned for its spectacular natural beauty. | |
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The South West of British Columbia benefits from a temperate climate considered to be the best in Canada. Spring arrives in March, after what is usually a wet and mild winter. |
and 3 Territories. |
| British Columbia is 947, 800 square kilometres (365, 946 square miles). This represents 3.88 times the surface of the United Kingdom or more than California, Oregon and Washington states combined! (see box below) | |
British
Columbia. Vancouver is located in the south west
corner. (green dot) |
The name of the province refers to the Columbia River, which originates here and flows south across the border into the United States. British Columbia became part of the Canadian Confederation on July 20, 1871. It was as the sixth province to join the Canadian Confederation and is the third largest province in the country. Rich in natural resources, it is also known for its gorgeous scenery and recreational attractions which make tourism one of the largest sectors in the B.C. economy. |
| British Columbia is the most physically diverse of the four western Canadian provinces. Mountain ranges go from the southeast to the northwest corner. In the northeastern corner, however, is a portion of the Interior Plains of Canada. This region has a flat to gently hilly landscape. The coast of British Columbia offers fjords and inlets providing many sheltered harbours. The Queen Charlotte Islands, in the northwest, where the Haida people live is unique for its arts and the local flora and fauna. | The
table below shows the comparative size of British Columbia.
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| Vancouver
Island and Victoria Vancouver Island lies to the southwest of British Columbia, a buffer to the cold north Pacific waters. With an area of 31,284 sq. km., Vancouver Island is a large island, larger than Massachusetts at 23,934 sq. km. The Provincial Capital, Victoria, is located on the southmost point of the Island. A lovely gardened city of 300,000 people, it is renowned for its “Victorian England” flavour. A lovely place to visit and a warm climate make Victoria a favourite destination for tourists to the Northwest. |
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 Coal Harbour at dawn. (Coal Harbour is a finger of the waters of Burrard Inlet - centre of map below-, extending to the west) |
Vancouver The city was named after Captain George Vancouver (1757-1798), a British naval officer who had served under Captain James Cook. Captain Vancouver was the first European to circumnavigate Vancouver Island. He spent three years mapping the coast of what is now British Columbia. Vancouver
is the third largest city in Canada and ranks as the country's busiest
port. The city sits on the edge of Burrard Inlet, which is connected
to the Pacific Ocean by English Bay, the Strait of Georgia, and the
Strait of Juan de Fuca.
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| Then
and Now Vancouver first started a small settlement on the edge of Burrard Inlet in the 1860's. The arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1887, allowed the city to grow. |
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| By
the turn of the 19th century, the population numbered 27,000.
Today Greater Vancouver’s population is edging toward 2 million. Considered one of most beautiful city sites in the world, Vancouver lies between snow-capped mountains and the ocean. Vancouverites like to say that it is possible to go skiing in the morning and sailing in the afternoon! |
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| Rainfall
Facts Like most inhabitants of the Northwest of North America, Vancouverites hate to admit it, but it does rain in Vancouver. Could it be because we are a coastal city?! |
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Mean Annual Precipitation
for Greater Vancouver (millimetres per year) |
The chart on the left shows average
yearly rainfall in millimetres. You will notice that as
you go up into the mountains to the north of the city, the precipitation
increases noticeably.
What these numbers do not reflect however, is the fact that mountains, due to their elevation, tend to receive proportionally more precipitation during any given rainfall than low-lying areas. Which means that quantity of rain is not an indicator of the quantity of sunshine, which, in fact, is fairly even throughout the Greater Vancouver area. |
| Enjoy
your visit to British Columbia
Below are some links to some websites dealing with British Columbia, Vancouver and Victoria: |
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