British Columbia
Province of Canada on the Pacific Ocean
Area:
947,800 sq km/365,851 sq mi
Capital:
Victoria
Towns and Cities:
Vancouver, Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, Surrey
Physical:
Rocky Mountains and Coast Range; deeply indented coast; rivers include
the Fraser and Columbia; over 80 lakes; Tatshensini Provincial Park;
more than half the land is forested
Industries:
Fruit and vegetables; timber and wood products; fish; coal, copper,
iron, lead; oil and natural gas; hydroelectricity
Population:
(1996) 3,724,500
History:
Captain Cook explored the coast 1778; a British colony was founded
on Vancouver Island 1849, and the gold rush of 1858 extended settlement
to the mainland; it became a province 1871. In 1885 the Canadian Pacific
Railroad linking British Columbia to the east coast was completed.
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