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British Columbia

British Columbia
NameBritish Columbia
AlternateNameColombie-Britannique (French)
EntityAdjectiveProvincial
FlagFlag of British Columbia.svg
CoatOfArmsCoat of Arms of British Columbia.png
Motto 
( )
OfficialLangEnglish (de facto, not de jure)
DemonymBritish Columbian
Sloganbeautiful British Columbia
FlowerPacific Dogwood
TreeWestern Red Cedar
BirdSteller's Jay
AnimalSpirit Bear
CapitalVictoria
LargestCityVancouver
LargestMetroMetro Vancouver
PremierChristy Clark
PremierPartyBC Liberal
ViceroySteven Point
ViceroyTypeLieutenant-Governor
LegislatureLegislative Assembly of British Columbia
PostalAbbreviationBC
PostalCodePrefixV
AreaRank5th
TotalArea Km2944735
LandArea Km2925186
WaterArea Km219549
PercentWater2.1
PopulationRank3rd
Population4,510,858 (est.)
PopulationYear2010
DensityRank7th
Density Km24.7
GDP Year2009
GDP TotalC$191.006 billion
GDP Rank4th
GDP Per CapitaC$41,689
GDP Per Capita Rank7th
LandBordersCanada: Alberta, Northwest Territories, Yukon. U.S.A: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington
AdmittanceOrder7th
AdmittanceDate20 July 1871
TimeZoneUTC−8 & −7
HouseSeats36
SenateSeats6
ISOCodeCA-BC
Websitewww.gov.bc.ca

     Home | State | British Columbia



British Columbia c-enaudio=En-ca-BritishColumbia.oggˌbrɪtɪʃ_kəˈlʌmbiə (B.C. or BC) ( , C.-B.) is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without Diminishment"). Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858. In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.

The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the fifteenth largest metropolitan region in Canada. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, and the third-largest in the Pacific Northwest. In 2009, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,419,974 (about two and a half million of whom were in Greater Vancouver). The province is currently governed by the BC Liberal Party, led by Premier Christy Clark, who became leader as a result of the party election on February 26, 2011.

British Columbia's economy is largely resource-based. It is the endpoint of transcontinental highways and railways and the site of major Pacific ports, which enable international trade. Because of its mild weather, and despite the fact that less than 5% of its land is arable, the province is agriculturally rich, particularly in the Fraser and Okanagan Valleys. Its climate encourages outdoor recreation and tourism, though its economic mainstay has long been resource extraction, principally logging and mining.


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