British Columbia Facts - More on
Vancouver Island's Location

We thought our readers might appreciate some British Columbia facts, since Vancouver Island is located here. British Columbia is also referred to as BC (for short).

Check out the map of BC we've included on this page.

Here are our British Columbia facts that we've put together to help guide you to our beautiful Island in the Pacific...

NAME ORIGIN

In the mid 1800's, Queen Victoria officially named this province as British Columbia. Columbia refers to the Columbia River, which cuts through a rugged mountain valley in the southern part of BC.

British Columbia is Canada's westernmost province - the third largest Canadian province. BC has three large mountain ranges, is covered two-thirds in forest, and has a beautiful long Pacific coastline.

BC borders the Pacific Ocean on the West, and borders the province of Alberta to the East. The U.S. state of Alaska partially borders the top with Canada's Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories. Bordering the south are the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho and Montana.

SIZE & POPULATION

The area of BC is approximately 944,735 sq. km (364,764 sq. miles), which includes all the islands within the province.

According to the most recent statistics, the total population of British Columbia sits at 4,113,487.

CITIES

The two largest cities in British Columbia are Vancouver and Victoria.

The gorgeous city of Vancouver BC is located on the mainland with a population of about 2.1 million. and the city of Victoria BC is located on Vancouver Island.

The city is steps to tons of very good outdoor adventures, like skiing, hiking and sea kayaking.

One of the more interesting British Columbia facts relates to cities. Many think that Vancouver is the capital of the province due to the over 2.1 million in population. However...

The capital is actually the city of Victoria BC , located on beautiful Vancouver Island.

Situated on Vancouver Island's southernmost tip, Victoria is the seat of government. Greater Victoria has a population of just over 330,000 people.

VANCOUVER ISLAND

The largest of the islands in BC, Vancouver Island, lies just off the southwestern corner of the mainland.

Did You Know...? One of the most interesting of British Columbia facts: Vancouver Island is the largest island on the West coast of North America!

BRITISH COLUMBIA INDUSTRIES

What are our main industries? Forestry, mining, fishing, agriculture, energy, and tourism. British Columbia is the location for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics .

BRITISH COLUMBIA FERRIES
BC Ferries operate passenger and vehicle ferries from the mainland to Vancouver Island and other surrounding Islands. There are about 6 to 7 major ferry routes. The most heavily traveled route? Mainland Vancouver to Vancouver Island.

Ferry transportation is not cheap if bringing a vehicle with multiple passengers. You can walk on, or bring a bike. Most ferries offer full meals, but some of the smallest ferries offer snacks/vending machines only. Check out our our BC Ferries page for detailed info!

BC Weather

The weather in British Columbia sees a generous helping of all four seasons. Here's our breakdown on British Columbia weather:

COASTAL AREA
Mild climate year-round with precipitation. Mild winters and little, if any, snow. Driest months: July and August. Day-to-day weather can sometimes be unpredictable, with windy winters. Most temperate climate on record: Vancouver Island BC. Ski and golf on the same day!

NORTHERN BC
The northern interior of the province gets hot summer weather, and plenty of snow in the winter with cold temperatures. Late spring and early fall are the most temperate times. Check out the tons of cool northern BC outdoor adventures .

SOUTHERN BC
A semi-arid climate, getting very hot during the summer - frequently going beyond 30 degrees (lots of wine vineyards out here!) Generous helping of snow in the winter, but milder temperatures than the north. Like DRY HEAT? Then check out southern BC adventures .

EASTERN REGION
Eastern BC sits in the Rocky Mountains - location of some beautiful towns, valleys and outdoor adventures ! Extreme winter cold spells can occur but sometimes offset by mild spring weather. Summers can be variable, alternating between hot, dry spells and cooler periods.

MAJOR NEWSPAPERS

The major British Columbia newspapers are the Vancouver Province, the Vancouver Sun, and the Victoria Times Colonist.

TOP OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

In our opinion... the top 3 British Columbia outdoor adventures would have to be: skiing, kayaking, and hiking.
And camping.
And salmon/halibut fishing.

Other Cool British Columbia Facts...

• Prince Rupert in BC has the third-deepest natural harbour in the world.
• BC’s windiest place is Cape St. James, at the southern tip of Haida Gwaii. The wind blows there 99 per cent of the time.
• BC’s highest point is Fairweather Mountain, at 4,633 metres (15,196 feet), on the BC/Alaska border in the Coast Mountains.

Hope you found our British Columbia Facts Page useful. See you out here in the fantastic outdoors of Vancouver Island!

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