British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada. Situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, forests, lakes, mountains, inland deserts and grassy plains. British Columbia borders the province of Alberta to the east; the territories of Yukon and Northwest Territories to the north; the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho and Montana to the south, and Alaska to the northwest. With an estimated population of over 5.6 million as of 2024, it is Canada's third-most populous province. The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, while the province's largest city is Vancouver. Vancouver and its suburbs together make up the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, with the 2021 census recording 2.6 million people in Metro Vancouver.
The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05 million people as of the 2021 Canadian census, the Lower Mainland contains sixteen of the province's 30 most populous municipalities and approximately 60% of the province's total population.
The Okanagan, also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of the Okanagan Country, extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington. According to the 2016 Canadian census, the region's population is 362,258. The largest populated cities are Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and West Kelowna.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term "Greater Vancouver" describes an area that is roughly coterminous with the region governed by the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), though it predates the 1966 creation of the regional district. It is often used to include areas beyond the boundaries of the regional district but does not generally include wilderness and agricultural areas that are included within the MVRD.
British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, bordered by the Pacific Ocean. With an area of 944,735 km2 (364,764 sq mi) it is Canada's third-largest province. The province is almost four times the size of the United Kingdom and larger than every United States state except Alaska. It is bounded on the northwest by the U.S. state of Alaska, directly north by Yukon and the Northwest Territories, on the east by Alberta, and on the south by the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Formerly part of the British Empire, the southern border of British Columbia was established by the 1846 Oregon Treaty. The province is dominated by mountain ranges, among them the Canadian Rockies but dominantly the Coast Mountains, Cassiar Mountains, and the Columbia Mountains. Most of the population is concentrated on the Pacific coast, notably in the area of Vancouver, located on the southwestern tip of the mainland, which is known as the Lower Mainland. It is the most mountainous province of Canada.
Burnaby Lake Rugby Club is a rugby club based in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Emergency Support Services (ESS) is a component of Emergency Management British Columbia. As of March 2023, EMBC became part of the B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness ESS are those services required to preserve the well-being of people affected by an emergency or disaster. Teams are established in local municipalities and assemble together for meetings and contingency planning.
United Rugby is a Canadian rugby union club that is based in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, representing the cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, and New Westminster. It was formed in 2005 with the joining of the Pocomo RFC and the Douglas College RFC.
The British Columbia Interior, popularly referred to as the BC Interior or simply the Interior, is a geographic region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. While the exact boundaries are variously defined, the British Columbia Interior is generally defined to include the 14 regional districts that do not have coastline along the Pacific Ocean or Salish Sea, and are not part of the Lower Mainland. Other boundaries may exclude parts of or even entire regional districts, or expand the definition to include the regional districts of Fraser Valley, Squamish–Lillooet, and Kitimat–Stikine.
An electoral redistribution was undertaken in 2008 in British Columbia in a process that began in late 2005 and was completed with the passage of the Electoral Districts Act, 2008 on April 10, 2008. The redistribution modified most electoral boundaries in the province and increased the number of MLAs from 79 to 85. The electoral boundaries created by the redistribution were first used in the 2009 provincial election.
The British Columbia Summer Swimming Association (BCSSA) is a competitive aquatics program in British Columbia, Canada. The organization offers competition in four disciplines: Speed Swimming, Water polo, Diving, and Synchronized Swimming. BCSSA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008.
British Columbia wine is Canadian wine produced in the province of British Columbia. Wines made from 100% British Columbia grapes can qualify for classification under one of British Columbia's two classification systems, depending on the variety, the winemaking techniques employed, and various other restrictions.
The BC Elite Hockey League, or BCEHL, is the highest level of provincial youth ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada. Governed by BC Hockey and inaugurated in 2004 as BC Major Midget League.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to British Columbia:
First West Credit Union is British Columbia’s third largest credit union with nearly $16.9 billion in total assets and assets under administration and more than 250,000 members. Its core business is traditional banking, the provision of personal and business daily banking services. First West has the largest geographic reach of any credit union in the province with 45 branches throughout B.C. The credit union is headquartered in the Vancouver suburb of Langley and has regional administration centres in Duncan on Vancouver Island and in Penticton in B.C.’s Southern Interior.
The British Columbia Female Midget AAA Hockey League (BCFMAAA) is the highest-level provincial women's minor ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada. It is run by the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association, a member of Hockey Canada and the regional governing body of ice hockey in British Columbia. The league comprises five teams, representing four geographic "zones", and is played over a 32 game regular season. The winning team of the league playoffs has the opportunity to compete for the ESSO Cup, Hockey Canada's National Female Midget Championship.
