Formation: 1871. The name signified the British territorial domain over its Crown colony. Columbia Lake, the Columbia River, and the province were named in honor of Christopher Columbus. TIME: 5 AM MST = noon GMT; 4 AM PST = noon GMT.
British Columbia is located on the western coast of Canada. It’s bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Alberta, and the United States. The climate in British Columbia varies from dry and sunny with warm summers to wet and cloudy with cold winters. Despite its coastal location, many parts of British Columbia are covered in snow for much of the year.
British Columbia was established in 1871 and is one of the country’s oldest and most populous provinces. It has a diverse landscape ranging from mountainous areas to low, rolling hills to fertile valleys. The area’s mountains have many natural resources, including coal, gold, copper, and, most notably, lumber. The province also has many national parks that offer some of the most beautiful scenery in Canada.
The province has natural resources, like mineral deposits, forests, farmland, water, and fish stocks. These resources have made British Columbia an essential part of Canada’s economy.
Map of British Columbia
The climate of British Columbia
The climate of the province is as diverse as its landscape. For example, the mild coast region receives abundant rain, while the interior has a continental climate with freezing winters and hot summers. Other parts of the province are virtually desert-like, with long hot summers followed by icy winters. The highest temperature recorded in British Columbia was 112°f (44.4°c) on 16 July 1941 at Lillooet; the lowest was -74°f (-58.9°c) on 31 January 1947 at Smith River. Overall, Victoria is ranked as having the mildest climate of any Canadian city, with an average daily temperature of 37°f (3°c) in January and 61°f (16°c) in July.
Facts about British Columbia
- British Columbia, westernmost of Canada’s 10 provinces.
- It is in the northwest corner of Canada. It is bounded to the north by Alberta, to the east by Yukon and Northwest Territories, to the south by Idaho and Montana, and to the west by Washington State and British Columbia.
- The space has a diverse climate and scenery that is unparalleled in Canada. The space stretches from north to south for 730 miles (1,180 km) and east to west for 640 miles (1,030 km). The area also has an island-studded coast as well as fjord-indented coast.
- British Columbia took time to become one of the most important provinces in Canada.
- The majority of British Columbia’s population is in the main cities of Vancouver, a large seaport, and Victoria. It covers an area of 364,764 sq mi (944,735 sq km).
- High mountain ranges surround the province of British Columbia. These mountains are found along the western part of the Americas, stretching from the Arctic Circle to the most southern part of South America.
- The diversity in geography within British Columbia is due to the two mountain ranges, the Coast Mountains and the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The province’s central interior plateau is created by the gradual angle at which these ranges are set.
- The highest elevation in the province is Mount Fairweather, which can be found in the St. Elias Mountains.
- There are hundreds of islands along the coast with plenty of protected waterways.
- The Fraser Delta is the most extensive limited coastal lowlands behind Vancouver to the south.
- Many plateaus are cut by deep canyons in the interior, with mountain ranges such as the Cassiar, Omineca, Skeena, and Hazelton Mountains in the north. The Columbia Mountains in the southeast also contain mountain ranges.
- BC is home to the three major river systems: Peace, Fraser, and Columbia. These drain into three bodies of water: the Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Robson Channel.
- The Fraser is the only major river in BC that flows into the Pacific Ocean. It’s sourced in the upper regions of the province, near Yellowhead Pass, and flows northwest to Prince George before turning southwest 300 miles away from Hope. The Fraser then reaches Vancouver, which flows through agricultural areas and into the Pacific Ocean.
- Columbia flows northward, turns around the end of the Selkirk Mountains, heads south, and then flows into Arrow Lakes before joining US rivers. It becomes a formidable stream in the Rocky Mountain Trench, cutting eastward to join with rivers in Alberta’s plains.
- In the age of hydroelectric power, lakes are essential to store water. Many are small, with the larger ones being long and narrow because the north-south mountain ranges confine them.
- A small part of BC is cropland, and most of the province is covered with trees. However, about two-thirds of BC has soil suitable for farming.
- British Columbia experiences a variety of climates because of the Kuroshio current, which warms the coast, and neighboring mountain ranges. Higher claims by some climate experts state that southwestern BC has one of the most favorable climates for plants and animals because of its complex temperature and humidity.
- During the summer and winters, forgiving temperatures lack severely low amounts of cold weather. This is because winds from the Pacific Ocean run over mountain ranges.
- They use the mild, wet climate to grow large trees up to 200 feet (60 meters). Western hemlock, red cedar, balsam fir, and Sitka spruce predominate, but they also have Douglas fir – which produces excellent sawn lumber – growing in slightly drier coastal locations.
- Black bears, moose, and mule deer are Alberta’s most widespread large wild mammals. Black bears have also thrived when forests have been restored by cutting old-growth timber. The population of grizzly bears has also increased since the 1980s as well.
- The province has various animals, including bears, porcupines, and eels. In addition, there are skunks and raccoons in the south of Canada. Elk thrive on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
- British Columbia is influenced by the British due to its high ethnic diversity and historically English-speaking population.
- In 1858, the British government dispatched officials and the Royal Engineers to administer the colony. With the return of most American miners to California, British Columbia became essentially British- despite their many reported problems with racism. Immigrants from the British Isles later flooded in during the early years of the 20th century and reinforced its ethnic character.
- Workers from China immigrated to Canada in the 1800s, first arriving during the gold rush. They were discriminated against by the 1870s, disenfranchising them and leaving them ineligible for civil rights. However, many more workers from China, South Asia, and Japan also immigrated to Canada in the 1900s as laborers to work on building a railroad.
- British Columbia is home to groups like the Indians. These are historically significant because of their deep-rooted connections with the local land and history.
- Mountains and water divide British Columbia, leading the population to settle in valleys. Many valleys have been used for transportation and settlement, especially in the south.
Google Maps of British Columbia
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