BACKGROUND
British Columbia is the westernmost province in Canada. It is a large place and covers an area as much as the rest of Canada, which is about four times the size of Great Britain with less than one-tenth of the population. Being a highly mountainous region with major ranges that mostly run north-south from the coast to the border between British Columbia and Alberta, the place is an adventurous vacation.
GEOGRAPHY
British Columbia is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and the American state of Alaska, to the north by Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories, to the east by the province of Alberta, and to the south by the US states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. British Columbia’s land area is 944, 735 square kilometers. Its rugged coastline stretches for more than 27,000 kilometers and includes deep, mountainous fjords and about 6,000 islands, most of which are uninhabited. It is the only province in Canada that borders the Pacific Ocean.
CAPITAL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia.
MAJOR CITIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Abbotsford, Richmond.
ECONOMY
The province has an economic history of being a resource dominated economy, centered on the forestry industry. The culture of British Columbia is diverse where service-producing industries account for the largest portion of the province’s GDP. It is the terminus of two transcontinental railways and the site of 27 major marine cargo and passenger terminals. Though less than 5% of it’s vast 944,735 km2 land is arable, the province is agriculturally rich, because of milder weather near the coast and in certain sheltered southern valleys. Its climate encourages outdoor recreation and tourism, though it’s economic mainstay has long been resource extraction.
The economic history of British Columbia is replete with tales of dramatic upswings and downswings, and this boom and bust pattern has influenced the politics, culture and business climate of the province. Economic activity related to mining, in particular, has widely fluctuated with changes in commodity prices over time, with documented costs to community health.
TIME IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Most of British Columbia is in the Pacific Time Zone in Canada, which is 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-8). Only a few communities observe Mountain Time which is quite a significant part of South-Eastern British Columbia. This includes large areas West of the Rockies. Besides, most of British Columbia observes Daylight Saving Time.
CULTURE
People enjoy visiting British Columbia given its varied mountainous terrain including coasts, lakes, rivers, and forests, for pursuits like hiking and camping, rock climbing and mountaineering, hunting and fishing. Besides, water sports, whitewater rafting, sailing, sailboarding, and kayaking are popular on many inland rivers. Cross-country and telemark skiing are enjoyed during the winters. Snowboarding and horseback riding is also enjoyed by many British Columbians. The region has been consistent with both increased tourism and increased participation in diverse recreations by British Columbians.
ETHNICITY
The Canadian Province has a diverse ethnic population where a large number of immigrants are living since the last 30 years or less. Also present are European ethnicities of the first and second generation in Canada. First-generation immigrants from the British Isles remain a strong component of local society despite limitations on immigration from Britain since the ending of special status for British subjects in the 1960s.
The recent decades saw the proportion of Chinese ethnicity rising sharply, though still outnumbered by the historically-strong population of those of German ancestry.
CLIMATE
The coast of British Columbia and some valleys in the south-central part of the province have mild weather, the majority of its land mass experiences a cold-winter-temperature climate similar to the rest of Canada.
LANGUAGE
Majority of people in British Columbia speak English or French as their first language.
Widely-known as a travel and tourism destination, British Columbia offers unique attractions, colorful festivals, seasonal events, and sightseeing to its visitors to integrate the heritage of Canada’s western province and the ancient cultural traditions of the First Nations people of British Columbia.
BRITISH COLUMBIA FLAG
The theme of the British Columbia flag is based upon the shield of provincial arms of British Columbia. At the top of the flag, there is a rendition of the Royal Union Flag, defaced in the centeR by a crown, and with a setting sun below, representing the location of the province of British Columbia at the western end of Canada.
HISTORY
British Columbia is home to First Nations groups that have a history with a significant number of indigenous languages. There are more than 200 First Nations in British Columbia. Prior to contact with the non-Aboriginal people, human history is known from oral histories of First Nations groups, archaeological investigations, and from early records from explorers encountering societies early in the period.
