British Columbia lies in a Northwest-Southeast orientation along
the Pacific Coast of North America. The province is vast - 1,300 km long,
(north-south) and 700 km wide (east-west), and is nearly four times the size of
Great Britain.
To the east are the Rocky Mountains, to
the north are many lakes, forests, there is a small desert in the south and the
west of the province lies along the Pacific Ocean coast. Heavily influenced from
California, which is easier to access than the rest of Canada, British
Columbians live a different lifestyle to the rest of Canada.
Victoria is located on Vancouver Island, closer to Washington State, USA,
than mainland BC. With the mildest climate in Canada, the capital of British
Columbia is home to 300,000 residents and is growing fast. The tourist trade is
a major factor, just like Vancouver, but the line between what is laid on for
the tourists and what is truly authentic is a bit blurred.
One of the most spectacularly scenic cities in Canada, Vancouver is nestled
between the sea and the mountains in the very south west of the province. As one
of the most cosmopolitan cities in North America, Vancouver is home to many new
immigrants is easily the third largest city in Canada (behind Toronto and
Montreal).
The interior of the province offers lush and fertile valleys
that produce some of the tastiest fruits and vegetables in North America. This
includes numerous vineyards and wineries currently producing award-winning
wines. Many large lakes and rivers provide excellent facilities for summer water
sports, with British Columbia fishing being some of the best in the world.
High plateau and rolling ranchland are common features, and
British Columbia even has its own pocket desert complete with cacti,
rattlesnakes and dunes! Runoff from the thousands of mountains and glaciers
create hundreds of rivers that can meander lazily across the plateau or rage in
violent cataracts through canyons and chasms.