V ictoria having the warmest winters in Canada is proud of its benign climate and easy-going lifestyle, making it a favourite retirement location and popular tourist destination.
Click to see a 360 degree view of the Victoria Inner Harbour ...
Capital: V ictoria Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendour without diminishment)
Photo: Deanne Gillespie & Tourism
Flower: Pacific Dogwood
Some Population Statistics from the 2006 Canada Census:
City of Victoria in 2006 had 78,057 population - up 5.3% from the 74,125 in 2001.
Metropolitan Victoria area had 330,088 people, a population increase of 5.8% from 2001.
Saanich (District Municipality) had 108,265 in 2005.
Esquimalt had 16,840 in 2005.
Oak Bay had 17,908 in 2005.
Capital Regional District had 325,754 in 2001.
The Land
The variety of its landscapes is the main reason for British Columbia's distinctiveness: its 947,800 km2 offer remarkable topographical contrasts. Where the Pacific Ocean reaches the continent, it meets a chain of islands, large and small, running from north to south. Some of these islands are nestled in fiords carved in the majestic Coastal Mountains, which rise more than 2,000 metres above sea level.
The People
British Columbia continues to attract Canadians and foreigners alike: 22,000 people settled in the province in 1998, and its population is now 13% of Canada's total. Nearly 60% live in Vancouver and Victoria, the province's capital. Vancouver, the largest dry cargo port on the Pacific coast of North America, is home to more than two million people, which makes it the third largest city in Canada.
About three quarters of BC's population live in the southwestern corner of the province. The majority of BC's inhabitants are of British origin, but the population includes immigrants and descendants of immigrants of all nationalities. More than 100,000 British Columbians are of Chinese origin. Vancouver has North America's second-largest Chinese community. In addition, more that 60,000 of BC inhabitants are from India and over 16,000 from Japan. The Aboriginal population of British Columbia is growing in numbers and is over 200,000 people.
Economy
Tourism is an important economic sector in British Columbia. With over five million hectares of parkland, the Rocky Mountains remain the biggest attraction. Coast BC, with its beaches and other attractions, is also popular. Each year, about 15 million people visit British Columbia.
... of Cabbages and Kings and Alleys in Victoria
There are two castles in Victoria, BC, Hatley Castle, built in 1908 for James Dunsmuir, of the famous coal baron family, and now the home of Royal Roads University; and Craigdarroch Castle. Craigdarroch was built in the 1890's as a family residence for another wealthy Dunsmuir coal baron Robert Dunsmuir. Victoria is also home to the narrowest street in North America - Fan Tan Alley, located in historic Chinatown . As to Cabbages ... there is a wonderful Marine Park named Cabbage Island located off Tumbo Island and is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.
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