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 to the north; the Northwest Territories to the northeast; the US states of Washington, Idaho and Montana to the south; and Alaska to the northwest. With an estimated population of over 5.5 million as of 2023, 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 Gulf Islands is a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia.
Penelakut Island is located in the southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. The island has a population of about 300 members of the Penelakut Band. The island has an area of 8.66 square kilometres (3.34 sq mi). There is frequent car and passenger ferry service to Penelakut from Chemainus on Vancouver Island. On its west side sits Telegraph Harbour.
Langford is a city on southern Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Langford is one of the 13 component municipalities of Greater Victoria and is within the Capital Regional District. Langford was incorporated in 1992 and has a population of over 40,000 people. Its municipal neighbours are Colwood to the southeast, Highlands to the north, Metchosin to the southwest, and View Royal to the northeast.
The Musqueam Indian Band is a First Nations band government in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the only First Nations band whose reserve community lies within the boundaries of the City of Vancouver.
Parts of this article have been adapted from the BC Parks website.
Helliwell Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada located on a headland at the northeast end of Hornby Island.
Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park is a provincial park on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Its principal function is the protection, management, and recreational use of several caves collectively known as the Horne Lake Caves.
Sooke Mountain Provincial Park is a Class B provincial park located at the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The park was established on June 25, 1928, to protect local wildlife and preserve the scenic wilderness of the area. Sooke Mountain is now part of the larger Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt surrounding Greater Victoria.
Strathcona Provincial Park is the oldest provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, and the largest on Vancouver Island. Founded in 1911, the park was named for Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, a wealthy philanthropist and railway pioneer. It lies within the Strathcona Regional District. The Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve, established in 2000, includes three watersheds in the western area of the park.
Strathcona-Westmin Provincial Park is a Class B provincial park located at the southern extremity of Buttle Lake on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The park was separated out from Strathcona Provincial Park by BC Parks in 1987 so that mining operations could proceed within park boundaries. Strathcona-Westmin is expected to be reabsorbed into Strathcona Provincial Park once mining operations cease.
The WuikinuxvIPA:[ʔuwik'inuxʷ],, also rendered Oweekano (Pre-1976); Oowekeeno (1976-2003) are an Indigenous First Nations people of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located around Rivers Inlet and Owikeno Lake, to the north of Queen Charlotte Strait. The Wuikinuxv people and their neighbours the Heiltsuk and Haisla peoples were in the past sometimes known incorrectly as the "Northern Kwakiutl".
Sidney Island is one of the southern Gulf Islands located between the southwest coast of British Columbia, Canada and Vancouver Island, BC, near James Island. Sidney Island has an elevation of 77 meters above mean sea level at its highest point. It is located just east of the town of Sidney which is on the east coast of the Saanich Peninsula. Sidney Island is a part of the Capital Regional District, while its land titles are legally described in the Cowichan Land District. In 1859 Captain Richards named the island for Frederick W. Sidney, who, like Richards served in the survey branch of the Royal Navy.
The Wannock River is a short river in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, draining Owikeno Lake and entering Rivers Inlet at the head of that inlet, adjacent to the town of the same name, which is the main modern settlement of the Wuikinuxv (Owikeno) people. Katit Indian Reserve No. 1 is located around the banks of the river, including Katit Island, which is an island in the river.
Mount Tzouhalem is a mountain on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, 4 kilometres east-northeast of Duncan in the municipality of North Cowichan. It is situated between Quamichan Lake, Maple Bay and Cowichan Bay.
The Qualicum National Wildlife Area (NWA) was officially established in 1977, under the Canada Wildlife Act (1973). The primary objective of the Qualicum NWA was to conserve crucial habitats for migratory birds and various other species.
Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area is a National Wildlife Area located near the south end of Pitt Lake in British Columbia, Canada. The property was purchased by the Nature Trust of British Columbia in 1973 and declared a National Wildlife Area by the Canadian Wildlife Service in October of that year. The Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area is a biologically diverse marsh wetland. It is the traditional territory of various First Nations groups. The Widgeon Valley Wildlife Area is a protected wildlife area that is home to a number of sensitive waterfowl and fish species. The public uses the channels through the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area for recreational canoeing, anywhere else within the protected area is strictly off-limits to the public. There are future plans to develop interpretive trails through the park and open it to the public.
Lizard Lake is a lake on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada near the town of Port Renfrew. It is located in the Capital Regional District. The lake is northeast of the junction of Harris Creek and the San Juan River. Lizard Lake lies at an elevation of 65 metres (213 ft) above sea level and has a surface area of 8 hectares. Its mean depth is 15 metres (49 ft) with a maximum of 16 metres (52 ft).
Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located on the east coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It was designated in 2000 by UNESCO to protect a large second-growth coast Douglas fir ecosystem in the watersheds of the Little Qualicum and Englishman Rivers from being developed.
