British Columbia

Capital: Victoria
Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendor without diminishment)
Flower: Pacific Dogwood
Population: Over 4 Million

The Land

British Columbia is known for the amazing variety it offers in it’s landscape.  Contrast is the key word to describe the differences in the region.  On the Pacific coast a chain of island runs from the north of the province all the way to the south.  This chain of islands are part of the majesty that is the Coastal Mountains, some of which tower over 2000 metres above the sea.

The People

The province continues to attract a steady stream of Canadians and those from other countries too.  With the population now over 4 million people, BC represents about 15% of the population of the entire country.  About 60% of the residents of the province live in either Vancouver or Victoria.  One of the largest ports in North America, Vancouver is home to over 2 million residents making it Canada’s third largest city.

Over 3/4 of the province’s residents live in the southwestern portion of BC.  While the majority of it’s inhabitants are local to the area, the population does have a large immigration population and descendants of many nations.  Over 100,000 people in BC are considered to have their origins in China, this is the 2nd largest amount of Chinese descendants in any North America city.  60,000 people in the area have roots in India, and 16,000 residents claim Japanese ancestry.  The native aboriginal population in BC is consistently growing as well, and it’s numbers currently top 200,000.


Tourism in a very important part of the economy in BC.  The Rocky Mountains continue to draw in a massive amount of visitors each year.  The coastal area of the province with it's amazing scenery is also a very popular draw.  15 million people consistently visit the British Columbia area on an annual basis.

Agriculture and fishing remain a staple of the BC economy as well, especially the fishing of salmon.  The manufacturing sector is very much focused on resources, but it's slowly shifting it's focus to other industries like technology, telecommunication, aerospace, and sub-sea industries.  BC has many trading partners around the world and has favorable relationships with every trading region on the globe.