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BC Fact Sheet
Here, at a glance, are BC's vital statistics. For more background details and travel information please see our Consumer Site.
Mountains, beaches, islands, forest, and wilderness -- it's all here, in large, sometimes awe-inspiring, numbers. It's not all about wilderness, though.
Canada 's westernmost province is also a top choice for safe, vibrant cities, great little arts towns, and a fascinating blend of cultures.
The Land
British Columbia is bordered by Alberta to the east, the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Alaska Panhandle and the Canadian territories of Yukon and The Northwest Territories form the northern border.
- At 944,735 square kilometres (364,764 square miles), BC is about the size of France, Germany and the Netherlands combined. It's larger than the total area of Washington, Oregon and California.
- British Columbia is Canada's third largest province, after Quebec and
Ontario . It covers about 9.5 per cent of Canada's surface area.
- A series of southeast-northwest running mountain ranges, from the Rockies in the east to the Coast Mountain and Vancouver Island ranges in the west, serrate the landscape into a series of peaks, plateaus and valleys.
- British Columbia's rugged coastline stretches for 25,725 kilometres (15,985 miles), including deep, mountainous fjords and about 6,000 islands, most of which are uninhabited.
- The largest island, at 460 kilometres (286 miles) long, is Vancouver Island. Home to Victoria, the provincial capital, it lies off the southwest corner of BC's mainland.
- 14.26 per cent of BC's land base, or 13.5 million hectares (33.36 million acres), is protected in a total of 989 provincial parks, conservancies, ecological reserves, and recreation areas.
The People
- Most of BC's population of about four million clusters in the province's southwest corner, in and around the cities of Vancouver and Victoria. The Okanagan Valley is the most populated inland region.
- Though small in numbers, British Columbians are a cosmopolitan and multi-cultural group. A large proportion of residents have moved here from other parts of Canada and from around the world.
- Most of BC's population of over four million people (4,530,960 in 2010, BC Stats) clusters in the province's southwest corner, in and around the cities of Vancouver and Victoria. The Okanagan Valley is the most populated inland region.
- Vancouver, in the mainland's southwest corner, is BC's largest city, with a 2010 population of 642,843.
- Greater Vancouver, also known as the Lower Mainland, is the province's largest metropolitan area, with a population (in 2010) of 2,374,628, or slightly more than half of BC's population.
The Climate
- Coastal British Columbia, including Vancouver and Victoria, enjoys the mildest climate in
Canada . Summers are warm but not hot, and winters are mild and wet, with little snow at sea level. Central and Northern BC have a more typically Canadian climate, with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.
- The climate can vary enormously across the province. BC is home to several regional micro-climates, ranging from alpine to tundra, desert to coastal rainforest.
The Time
- Most of British Columbia is on Pacific Standard Time (the same as Los Angeles, three hours behind Toronto and
New York ). A few communities along the Alberta border (notably
Fort
St. John , Dawson Creek, Golden, Kimberley and
Cranbrook ) use Mountain Standard Time.
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British Columbia switches to Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -7) on the second Sunday in March and reverts to Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8) on the first Sunday in November.
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