British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada. It is bounded
on the west by the Pacific Ocean and the panhandle region of the U.S.
state of Alaska, on the north by the Yukon and Northwest territories,
on the east by the province of Alberta, and on the south by the U.S.
states of Montana, Idaho, and Washington. It stretches 740 miles
(1,180 kilometers) from north to south and 640
miles from east to west at its widest point. The land has a diversity
of climate and scenery unparalleled in Canada, from the island-studded
and fjord-indented coast to the great peaks of the western continental
cordilleras, with their large interior
plateaus. Its area is 365,947 square miles (947,800
square kilometers),
making it the third largest province in size.
One of the last regions of the North American continent to be explored
and settled, British Columbia emerged in the second half of the 20th
century as one of the leading provinces of Canada in population, economic
wealth, and overall growth. Its main cities include Vancouver, the largest
port of Canada and of western North America, and Victoria, the provincial
capital, located on the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island.
British Columbia is a beautiful place. We have only been to Vancouver
and Victoria, but already we are astounded. If we had to pick
somewhere in the worl
d
to live, Vancouver B.C. would be it. On my first trip to Vancouver,
we were stopped by two Canadian street vendors, who, upon hearing that
we were American, closed up shop and took us out for a beer. We
drank with them all night and ended up sick. On other trips, we've
had various invitations to people's houses, and everyone we've spoken
to has been very generous and friendly. The city is amazingly
clean, and is surrounded by mountains.
Western British
Columbia is surrounded by mountains, while central B.C. is more arid
and open. In 2003, we had the chance to visit the British Columbia
Rockies. What an astonishing place. There is something for
everyone here, from big city living to vast, unexplored wilderness.
We've not yet been to Whistler, but that's next on our list. Victoria
is a cozy British-style town, where bed & breakfasts abound. We
attempted to go to one, but missed our ferry, and had to cancel.
Maybe next time. This part of our site will introduce you
to British Columbia and the communities of Vancouver and Victoria.
Check out our Photo Gallery
for photos of us in Canada,
and our British Columbia Directory
for all kinds of information about B.C., Vancouver and Victoria.
You can also check out our new
British
Columbia Message Board to find and share information about British
Columbia with people all over the world!
