British Columbia

British Columbia is Canada's westernmost province, fronting the Pacific Ocean and known for its spectacular mountains, forests and coastline. Its capital is Victoria, while Vancouver is the largest city and a major Pacific gateway. It is a center of natural beauty, outdoor recreation and trade with Asia.

British Columbia is dominated by mountain ranges, including the Coast Mountains and the Rockies, with deep fjords, dense rainforests, interior plateaus and a long, island-studded Pacific coast. The climate is mild and wet on the coast and drier in the interior.

British Columbia has a relaxed, outdoorsy, environmentally conscious culture, with strong Indigenous heritage and significant Asian communities, especially in multicultural Vancouver. Skiing, hiking, sailing and a thriving film industry shape its identity.

Home to many First Nations with rich coastal cultures, the region drew explorers and fur traders, then prospectors during the gold rushes. It joined Canada as a province in 1871 after the promise of a transcontinental railway linking it to the east.