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Name | British Columbia |
AlternateName | Colombie-Britannique (French) |
EntityAdjective | Provincial |
Flag | Flag of British Columbia.svg |
CoatOfArms | Coat of Arms of British Columbia.png |
Motto | ( ) |
OfficialLang | English (de facto, not de jure) |
Demonym | British Columbian |
Slogan | beautiful British Columbia |
Flower | Pacific Dogwood |
Tree | Western Red Cedar |
Bird | Steller's Jay |
Animal | Spirit Bear |
Capital | Victoria |
LargestCity | Vancouver |
LargestMetro | Metro Vancouver |
Premier | Christy Clark |
PremierParty | BC Liberal |
Viceroy | Steven Point |
ViceroyType | Lieutenant-Governor |
Legislature | Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |
PostalAbbreviation | BC |
PostalCodePrefix | V |
AreaRank | 5th |
TotalArea Km2 | 944735 |
LandArea Km2 | 925186 |
WaterArea Km2 | 19549 |
PercentWater | 2.1 |
PopulationRank | 3rd |
Population | 4,510,858 (est.) |
PopulationYear | 2010 |
DensityRank | 7th |
Density Km2 | 4.7 |
GDP Year | 2009 |
GDP Total | C$191.006 billion |
GDP Rank | 4th |
GDP Per Capita | C$41,689 |
GDP Per Capita Rank | 7th |
LandBorders | Canada: Alberta, Northwest Territories, Yukon. U.S.A: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington |
AdmittanceOrder | 7th |
AdmittanceDate | 20 July 1871 |
TimeZone | UTC−8 & −7 |
HouseSeats | 36 |
SenateSeats | 6 |
ISOCode | CA-BC |
Website | www.gov.bc.ca |
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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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