The West Coast: British Columbia, Canada’s Pacific Gateway

British Columbia occupies Canada’s western edge, where the Rocky Mountains meet the Pacific Ocean. Known for its majestic mountain scenery, British Columbia is Canada’s gateway to the Asia-Pacific — a role underscored by the Port of Vancouver, the largest and busiest port in the country, which handles billions of dollars’ worth of goods traded across the globe every year. Warm airstreams from the Pacific Ocean give the B.C. coast a temperate climate, making it among the mildest in Canada.

British Columbia

British Columbia is Canada’s westernmost province, with a population of four million people. Its economy is built on a remarkable range of industries. Forestry is the most economically significant, accounting for roughly half of all goods produced in B.C. — lumber, newsprint, pulp and paper products all flow from the province’s vast forests, making B.C.’s forestry industry the most valuable in Canada. Mining and fishing are also major sectors, and the Okanagan Valley is celebrated across the country for its fruit orchards and thriving wine industry.

B.C. is a province of enormous natural variety, reflected in its approximately 600 provincial parks, which together form the most extensive park system of any Canadian province. The province’s large Asian communities have made Chinese and Punjabi the most widely spoken languages in its cities after English, a testament to B.C.’s long-standing connections with the Asia-Pacific world.

The provincial capital, Victoria, sits on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It serves as both a popular tourist destination and the headquarters of the navy’s Pacific fleet — a reminder that B.C.’s relationship with the ocean goes well beyond commerce.