BRITISH COLUMBIA - B.C.

-B.C. is the westernmost province in Canada and the third largest.
-Alberta is to the east, and Yukon and the Northwest Territories are north.
-The Pacific Ocean is to the west.
-The northwest corner of the province borders the U.S. state of Alaska..
-To the south, B.C. is bordered by three U.S. states - Washington, Idaho and Montana.
-There are many islands off the coast that are also part of B.C.
-Victoria, the capital city is on Vancouver Island.
-Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada.
-Emblems: flower - Pacific Dogwood, bird - Stellar's Jay, tree - Western Red Cedar.
-motto - "Splendour without diminishment"

THE PEOPLE

-B.C. is the home to over 4,648,055 people. (2016 census)
-The largest city is Vancouver. (over 2.4 million in 2016)
-The First Nations people include the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Coast Salish (Squamish Nation) and other groups.
-People came from Britain, Western Europe, East and Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
-B.C. has the largest Chinese community in Canada.
-The top 10 languages spoken are English, Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin), Punjabi, German,
  French, Tagalog, Korean, Spanish, Persian, and Italian.
-About 75 percent of the people live in the southwest part of the province.

HISTORY

-The first people to live in BC were : Tlingit, Sekani, Haida, Nootka, Chilcotin and Shuswap.
-They fished for salmon and seals and hunted deer, bear and elk.
-They built large wooden houses and carved totem poles.
-Captain James Cook a British explorer sailed to Vancouver Island in 1778.
-George Vancouver mapped the coastline (1792-1794).
-Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser and David Thompson explored the interior of B.C.
-Fur trading posts were built.
-Fraser Valley Gold Rush brought many people (1857-1858).
-B.C. became a province in 1871.
-Canadian government promised to build a railway to B.C.
-Thousands of Chinese labourers arrived to pan for gold and to help build the railway.
-The Japanese came to work as agricultural labourers and fishermen.
-In 1885 the CPR railway reached Vancouver.
-British settlers came by train to the west coast.

LAND AND WATER

-The Fraser River is one of the largest rivers in Canada.
-Both the Fraser and the Columbia River flow into the Pacific Ocean.
-Ferry boats take people to and from the Islands off the coast.
-B.C. has seven national parks.
-There are several mountain ranges in the province.
-Three main mountain ranges are : Coastal Mountains (west), Columbia Mountains (southeast), Rocky Mountains (east).
-There are thousands of islands along the coastline, including the Queen Charlotte Islands (north) and the Gulf Islands
  near the southern end of Vancouver Island.
-The Caribou Pleateau is a series of high plateaus and rolling ranchland.
-The southern interior of the province is made up of fertile valleys where fruits and vegetables are grown.
-The highest mountain is Mount Fairweather (4663 metres or 15,388 ft.) on the B.C.-Alaska border.
-Della Falls on Vancouver Island (440 meters or 1,443 feet) is the highest waterfall in Canada.

CLIMATE

-The coastal mountains protect the Lower Mainland and the coast from the cold Arctic air masses in the winter.
-The coastal region has plenty of rainfall and mild temperatures.
-Vancouver and Victoria are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than the central areas of the province.
-The southern interior has the driest and warmest climate in the province.
-The central interior has warm summers and cold winters.

RESOURCES/INDUSTRIES

-Forestry is the largest industry. Forest covers over two-thirds of B.C.
-B.C. has the largest and oldest trees in Canada.
-Mountains, parks and beaches attract many tourists.
-Mining is the third largest industy. (copper, coal, gold, silver, zinc, sulphur, asbestos)
-B.C. has a large fishing industry (salmon, halibut, clams, cod, crab, oysters, rockfish, shrimp and herring)
-Cattle and dairy farms and farms that grow fruits, vegetables and flowers are found in the Fraser Valley.
-There are many orchards (apples, cherries, peaches, apricots, and plums) in the Okanagan Valley.
-The province is Canada's second largest generator of hydroelectricity.
-B.C. is Canada's second largest natural gas producer.
-B.C. is the third largest film and television production centre in North America (after New York and Los Angeles).
-The province supports a large shipping industry through ice-free, deep-water ports.
-The main trading ports are in Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

PEOPLE and PLACES

-Emily Carr (1871-1945) - painted the West Coast Aboriginal people
-Terry Fox (1958-1981) - tried to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research
-Michael Bublé - a singer who won Grammy and Juno awards
-Raymond Burr - actor (tv , Perry Mason and Ironside)
-Chief Dan George (1899-1981) - actor and poet
-David Suzuki - science broadcaster, environmental activist, author
-Richard Hansen - a Canadian Paralympian and an activist for people with spinal cord injuries

-Stanley Park in Vancouver is one of Canada's biggest city parks with an aquarium, gardens, beaches and trails.
-In Stanley Park there are totem poles carved by the native people of the west coast.
-Tourism is a major part of the province's economy.
-The mountains, the coastline and the mild weather attract thousands of tourists.
-People ski at Whistler Mountain, Kimberley, Fernie, Revelstoke and many other ski resorts.
-Okanagan Valley is known for the warm weather, wineries and as a fruit growing region.
-Canada's largest port is in Vancouver.
-Vancouver hosted the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.