British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, is located on the Pacific
Coast. It is Canada's third largest province comprising 9.5 percent of the
country's total land area. The province is nearly four times the size of
Great Britain and larger than any American state except Alaska.
Geography
British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, is
located on the Pacific Coast. It is Canada's third
largest province comprising 9.5 percent of the country's
total land area. The province is nearly four times the size
of Great Britain and larger than any American state except
Alaska. The population in 2001 was 4.1 million people with
well over half living in the Vancouver/Victoria metropolitan
area. From south to north, B.C. stretches 1,200 kilometres
and as much as 1,050 kilometres east to west. It's
glaciated fjord and island-dotted coastline extends some
7,000 kilometres.
British Columbia, renown for it's spectacular mountains
landscapes, has four distinct regions: the Coast Mountain
Granite Complex in the west, the Rocky, Percell, Selkirk,
Monashee and other sedimentary and volcanic ranges from the
eastern border, an extensive Interior Plateau and a lowland
segment of the continent's Great Plains in the northeast.
The province is blessed with 1.8 million hectares of clean
waterways in the form of rivers, lakes and streams. The
combination of mountains and plentiful precipitation provides
the province with abundant clean hydroelectricity for its
homes and factories.
Climate
The highly varied terrain produces a full range of climate
from regional temperate and coastal rainforests to alpine and
desert climates. The southern interior has the province's
driest and warmest climate with Canada's only defined
desert with the area around Osoyoos receiving less the 10
inches of rain annually. Microclimates, rainshadows in the
lee of some mountain ranges, permanent snowcap regions all
result from the unique topography.
Environment
British Columbia has the richest variety of habitats in
Canada including forests, grasslands, meadows, wetlands,
rivers and inter-tidal and sub-tidal zones. They support the
greatest diversity of plants and mammals found anywhere in
Canada. In addition to their diversity, the populations of
some species in B.C. have global significance. The province
has 75 percent of the world's stone sheep, 60 percent of
the mountain goats, 50 percent of the blue grouse, at least
half of the trumpeter swans and 40 percent of the grizzly
bears and the most bald eagles.
Services
The province hosts world class services ranging from the
urban center of Vancouver and Victoria where over half the
province's population live. Vancouverites enjoy one of
the healthiest lifestyles in the world with outdoor
activities ranging from year round sea kayaking, running,
golf, tennis and even gardening. Skiing at the nearby world
famous Whistler Resort or 4 local mountain resorts is a part
of an active winter scene. The city has world class dining,
shopping, nightlife and tours.
The interior hinterland of the province includes a full range
of outstanding outdoor activity that the varied landscape can
provide. Hunting, fishing, downhill and ski touring, hiking,
riding..there is hardly and activity that can't be found
in some terrain in the province. The medium sized centers
such as Kelowna, Prince George and Prince Rupert carry many
of the services of Vancouver including universities,
hospitals and many other urban businesses.
Tourism
British Columbia's scenic attractions, combined with its
clean, safe image, serve to make it an attractive destination
for Canadian as well as international tourists. In addition,
there are a wide variety of urban and cultural attractions,
ranging from the performing and visual arts, to professional
sports, amusement parks and shopping. Tourism is a major part
of the provincial economy. During 2001, $9.2 billion was
spent by 22 million overnight visitors.
British Columbia's national, provincial, regional and
local parks provide a spectrum of natural beauty,
breathtaking scenery and opportunities for outdoor enjoyment
and recreation. The 807 protected areas (provincial parks,
ecological reserves, recreation areas and other protected
areas), covering 11.4 million hectares, are diverse in their
features and facilities. There are 13,302 campsites, 487
day-use areas, 136 boat launch areas and 3,000 km of hiking
trails within Provincial parks, that serve approximately 24
million park visitors each year. Nearly one-tenth of the
province's parks are wilderness, largely untouched and
accessed by back-packers and mountaineers. Inland and coastal
waters are dotted with marine parks intended primarily for
water-borne users.
The abundance and variety of wildlife in British Columbia
reflect the great diversity of the province's
environment. There are more species in total and more unique
species of birds and mammals than in any other Canadian
province. In British Columbia, the salt and fresh water
resources of the province provide both recreational and
tourism opportunities for such activities as sport fishing,
boating and sailing.
Imagine a holiday in a province where, no matter what your
recreation passion, be it skiing in the summer, rock
climbing, horseback riding, ocean fishing or reading a good
book on the porch of a mountain cabin by a lake, British
Columbia has it all…and more
Steve is a former corporate geologist with an extensive
background in international remote terrain exploration. He is
the President of GeoQwest, a company he started to provide
informed travel through the spectacular wilderness landscapes
of British Columbia. For more information about travel in
British Colombia, contactSteve on: snoakes@okanagan.net or
visit his website: www.geoqwestexcursions.com