British Columbia

I

Introduction

British Columbia, Pacific Coast province in western Canada, bounded on the north by Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories; on the east by Alberta; on the south by the states of Montana, Idaho, and Washington; and on the west by the Pacific Ocean and Alaska. The crest of the Rocky Mountains forms the southeastern boundary. The province is the only part of Canada on the Pacific Ocean, and it includes Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands off the western coast.

British Columbia is Canada’s third largest province in area and population, behind Québec and Ontario. Much of it is rugged and mountainous. More than half the population lives in the southwestern corner of the province, which includes the largest city, Vancouver, and the provincial capital, Victoria.

British Columbia joined the Confederation of Canada on July 20, 1871, as its sixth province. It is richly endowed with natural resources, including mineral deposits, forests, and fisheries, all of which have been important in the development of a diversified economy in which manufacturing and service activities are also important. Tourism has been encouraged by the many scenic and recreational attractions of the province.

II

Physical Geography

British Columbia has an area of 944,735 sq km (364,764 sq mi). The province is roughly rectangular in shape; its extreme dimensions are 1,310 km (810 mi) from north to south, and 1,250 km (780 mi) from east to west. Elevations range from sea level to 4,663 m (15,299 ft) at Mount Fairweather in the Saint Elias Mountains. British Columbia’s shoreline along the Pacific Ocean, including the coasts of islands and land bordering estuaries, is 32,747 km (20,348 mi) long.

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A

Natural Regions

Mountain ranges, collectively known as the Canadian Cordillera, cover much of British Columbia. The northeastern corner of the province, referred to as the Peace River district, is part of the western prairie and also includes the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. In the southwestern corner of the province, the Lower Fraser Valley forms a flat, fertile triangle of intensively used land.

The Eastern Mountain System comprises a complex belt of glacier-covered ranges and valleys running southeast to northwest. This region is dominated by the Rocky Mountains. Lesser ranges include the Cassiar and Omineca mountains in the north, and the Cariboo, Selkirk, Monashee, and Purcell ranges of the Columbia Mountain system in the south. The most prominent valley in the region is the Rocky Mountain Trench, a deep, narrow rift valley between the Rocky Mountains in the east and the Columbia Mountain system in the west.

The Intermontane, or Interior, Region is also a rugged area. The central section, around Prince George and Williams Lake, has broken, rolling terrain, but both the northern and southern portions contain mountain ranges with elevations only slightly lower than those of the Rockies. The valleys of the southern interior run north to south, and many contain large lakes.

The Western Mountain System is dominated by the glacier-covered Coast Mountains, which include the province’s highest peak, Mount Fairweather, in the extreme northwest. The many islands along the Pacific coast are the highest points of a partly submerged mountain range. Much of the coast has fjord scenery, consisting of many narrow inlets between steep cliffs. The only significant coastal lowlands are in the lower Fraser River Valley and around Victoria on southeastern Vancouver Island.

B

Rivers and Lakes

Runoff from the mountains feeds many streams and large rivers in British Columbia. The most prominent are the Fraser, Skeena, Nass, Stikine, Columbia, and Kootenay rivers, all of which run toward the Pacific Ocean, and the Peace River, which flows northeast toward the Arctic Ocean. The Fraser rises in the Rocky Mountains and is joined by the Nechako, Quesnel, Chilcotin, and Thompson rivers along its 1,370-km (850-mi) course to the Strait of Georgia, near Vancouver.

The Columbia River, one of the largest rivers in western North America, begins in southeastern British Columbia and flows 740 km (460 mi) before entering the United States. Rivers and their valleys have provided important, if often difficult, routes through the mountains for people in British Columbia. The Fraser, in particular, forms an important transportation corridor.

British Columbia has many large natural lakes, especially in the valleys of the southern and central interior. Among these are Babine, Atlin, Kootenay, Ootsa, Okanagan, Upper and Lower Arrow, and Quesnel lakes. Several high dams have impounded large reservoirs, particularly on the Columbia, Nechako, and Peace rivers. Williston Lake, on the Peace River, is the province’s largest freshwater body. Hydroelectric power generation is well developed, although the Fraser, Nass, and Skeena rivers have not been dammed in order to protect the salmon runs on them.

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