Geography & Climate
Industry
Snapshot | Economy/Cost of
Living
Education
| Recreation
& Entertainment | Transportation
History | Suggested
Reading List
British Columbia is the westernmost province in Canada and the third largest, after Québec and Ontario. The Pacific Province consists of 944,735 square kilometres (233,449,102.5 acres or 94,473,500 hectares) in area, of which 97.9 percent is land and 2.1 percent is water. There are over 27,000 kilometres (16,777 miles) of coastline.
The province is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the U.S. state of Alaska and the Yukon and Northwest Territories to the north, to the east by Alberta, and to the south by the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The environments of the province are highly variable, ranging from temperate rain forest to icefields, and mountains to desert. British Columbia is divided into five geographic areas: the Pacific Maritime region along the coast, the Montane Cordillera of the interior, the Boreal Cordillera covering one-third of the north, the Taiga Plains of the north, and a portion of the Boreal Plains. The province’s highest point is Fairweather Mountain, at 4,663 metres (15, 299 feet) above sea level.
The Pacific Province is dotted with many lakes and wetlands, and innervated by streams and rivers. Important river systems include the Fraser, Skeena, Stikine, Peace, and Columbia Rivers. The largest lake in the province is Williston Lake, at 1,761 square kilometres (679.9 square miles or 176,100 hectares).
British Columbia’s highly variable climate is influenced by the Pacific Ocean, its mountainous topography, and its latitude. The northeastern region is Subarctic in character, with cold winters. Southern British Columbia experiences a rather temperate climate, with the moderating influence of the Japan Current in the Pacific Ocean combined with the sheltering effect of the coastal mountains. In fact, Victoria boasts the mildest climate in Canada. Interior regions of the province have more extreme temperatures and even some true desert areas exist. The daily temperatures in July average around 16 degrees C (60.8 degrees F) around Victoria and Vancouver; the northern interior average high for July is 17 degrees C (62.6 degrees F). January temperatures average 3 degrees C (37.4 degrees F) in Vancouver and Victoria, and -24 degrees C (-11.2 degrees F) in the northern interior. Precipitation averages from 25 to 50 centimetres (9.8 to 19.7 inches) in the Okanagan Valley to a considerable 130 to 380 cm (51.2 to 149.6 inches) along the western portion of the coastal mountains.
Related Resources:
Back to Destination British Columbia
|
