| Facts and Figures Bordered By Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories,
Alberta
Area 362,255 sq mi
(948,596 sq km)
Greatest Distance East-West 660 mi
(1,062 km)
Greatest Distance North-South 760 mi
(1,223 km)
Highest Point Mount Fairweather; 15,300
ft (4,663 m) above sea level
Lowest Point sea level
Mineral Resources asbestos, coal,
copper, limestone, molybdenum, natural gas, petroleum,
sand and gravel, zinc
Population (2014 est)
4,632,000
Largest Cities Vancouver, Surrey,
Burnaby, Richmond, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Saanich
Capital Victoria
Principal Industries finance,
insurance, real estate, transportation, retail and
wholesale trade, tourism, health services, technology,
education, manufacturing
Agricultural Products grapes,
blueberries, cherries, raspberries, pears, apricots,
barley, hay; cattle
First Explored By James Cook, 1778
First Permanent European Settlement Fort
Victoria, by The Hudson's
Bay Company, in 1843
Date Entered Dominion July 20, 1871, as the 6th
province
Origin of Name The
province's name was chosen by Queen
Victoria when the British-controlled mainland became
a British colony in 1858.
Coat of Arms The crown
and the Union Jack show the province's link with the
United Kingdom. The setting sun indicates that British
Columbia is the most western province of Canada. The
crest is a gold lion standing guardant and wearing the
royal crown, differenced with a garland of Pacific
dogwood, the provincial flower. The supporters are a
wapiti (of Vancouver Island) and a bighorn sheep (of the
mainland), symbolizing the union of the two colonies
which united to form British Columbia in 1866. The motto,
Splendor Sine Occasu, refers to the idea of
"the sun never setting over the British
Empire."
Flag adopted in 1906
Flower Pacific dogwood
Mammal spirit bear
Bird Steller's jay
Fish Pacific salmon
Tree western red cedar
Gemstone jade
Motto "Splendor Sine Occasu"
SEE ALSO
Yukon
Territory
Northwest
Territories
Alberta
James Cook
Hudson's Bay Company
Queen
Victoria
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