British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, is located on the Pacific Coast. It is Canada's third largest province comprising 9.5 percent of the country's total land area. The province is nearly four times the size of Great Britain and larger than any American state except Alaska.

Geography

British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, is located on the Pacific Coast. It is Canada's third largest province comprising 9.5 percent of the country's total land area. The province is nearly four times the size of Great Britain and larger than any American state except Alaska. The population in 2001 was 4.1 million people with well over half living in the Vancouver/Victoria metropolitan area. From south to north, B.C. stretches 1,200 kilometres and as much as 1,050 kilometres east to west. It's glaciated fjord and island-dotted coastline extends some 7,000 kilometres.

British Columbia, renown for it's spectacular mountains landscapes, has four distinct regions: the Coast Mountain Granite Complex in the west, the Rocky, Percell, Selkirk, Monashee and other sedimentary and volcanic ranges from the eastern border, an extensive Interior Plateau and a lowland segment of the continent's Great Plains in the northeast.

The province is blessed with 1.8 million hectares of clean waterways in the form of rivers, lakes and streams. The combination of mountains and plentiful precipitation provides the province with abundant clean hydroelectricity for its homes and factories.

Climate

The highly varied terrain produces a full range of climate from regional temperate and coastal rainforests to alpine and desert climates. The southern interior has the province's driest and warmest climate with Canada's only defined desert with the area around Osoyoos receiving less the 10 inches of rain annually. Microclimates, rainshadows in the lee of some mountain ranges, permanent snowcap regions all result from the unique topography.

Environment

British Columbia has the richest variety of habitats in Canada including forests, grasslands, meadows, wetlands, rivers and inter-tidal and sub-tidal zones. They support the greatest diversity of plants and mammals found anywhere in Canada. In addition to their diversity, the populations of some species in B.C. have global significance. The province has 75 percent of the world's stone sheep, 60 percent of the mountain goats, 50 percent of the blue grouse, at least half of the trumpeter swans and 40 percent of the grizzly bears and the most bald eagles.

Services

The province hosts world class services ranging from the urban center of Vancouver and Victoria where over half the province's population live. Vancouverites enjoy one of the healthiest lifestyles in the world with outdoor activities ranging from year round sea kayaking, running, golf, tennis and even gardening. Skiing at the nearby world famous Whistler Resort or 4 local mountain resorts is a part of an active winter scene. The city has world class dining, shopping, nightlife and tours.

The interior hinterland of the province includes a full range of outstanding outdoor activity that the varied landscape can provide. Hunting, fishing, downhill and ski touring, hiking, riding..there is hardly and activity that can't be found in some terrain in the province. The medium sized centers such as Kelowna, Prince George and Prince Rupert carry many of the services of Vancouver including universities, hospitals and many other urban businesses.

Tourism

British Columbia's scenic attractions, combined with its clean, safe image, serve to make it an attractive destination for Canadian as well as international tourists. In addition, there are a wide variety of urban and cultural attractions, ranging from the performing and visual arts, to professional sports, amusement parks and shopping. Tourism is a major part of the provincial economy. During 2001, $9.2 billion was spent by 22 million overnight visitors.

British Columbia's national, provincial, regional and local parks provide a spectrum of natural beauty, breathtaking scenery and opportunities for outdoor enjoyment and recreation. The 807 protected areas (provincial parks, ecological reserves, recreation areas and other protected areas), covering 11.4 million hectares, are diverse in their features and facilities. There are 13,302 campsites, 487 day-use areas, 136 boat launch areas and 3,000 km of hiking trails within Provincial parks, that serve approximately 24 million park visitors each year. Nearly one-tenth of the province's parks are wilderness, largely untouched and accessed by back-packers and mountaineers. Inland and coastal waters are dotted with marine parks intended primarily for water-borne users.

The abundance and variety of wildlife in British Columbia reflect the great diversity of the province's environment. There are more species in total and more unique species of birds and mammals than in any other Canadian province. In British Columbia, the salt and fresh water

resources of the province provide both recreational and tourism opportunities for such activities as sport fishing, boating and sailing.

Imagine a holiday in a province where, no matter what your recreation passion, be it skiing in the summer, rock climbing, horseback riding, ocean fishing or reading a good book on the porch of a mountain cabin by a lake, British Columbia has it all…and more

Steve is a former corporate geologist with an extensive background in international remote terrain exploration. He is the President of GeoQwest, a company he started to provide informed travel through the spectacular wilderness landscapes of British Columbia. For more information about travel in British Colombia, contactSteve on: snoakes@okanagan.net or visit his website: www.geoqwestexcursions.com