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British Columbia (BC)
(French: la Colombie-Britannique, C.-B.) is the westernmost of Canada's
provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto,
Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without Diminishment"). In 1871, it became the
sixth province of Canada.
The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan
region in Canada. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan
area in Canada and the second-largest in the Pacific Northwest. In 2009, British
Columbia had an estimated population of 4,419,974 (about 2 million of whom were
in Metro Vancouver).
Half of all British Columbians live in the Metro Vancouver area, which includes
Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, West Vancouver, North Vancouver (city),
North Vancouver (district municipality), Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam,
Maple Ridge, Langley (city), Langley (district municipality), Delta, Pitt
Meadows, White Rock, Richmond, Port Moody, Anmore, Belcarra, Lions Bay and Bowen
Island, with adjacent unincorporated areas represented in the regional district
as the electoral area known as Greater Vancouver Electoral Area A. Seventeen
Indian reserves are located in the metropolitan area but are outside the
jurisdiction of the regional district and not represented in its government.
Also in the metropolitan area but not represented in the regional district are
the University Endowment Lands.
The second largest concentration of British Columbia population is located at
the southern tip of Vancouver Island, which is made up of the 13 municipalities
of Greater Victoria, Victoria, Saanich, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, View Royal,
Highlands, Colwood, Langford, Central Saanich/Saanichton, North Saanich, Sidney,
Metchosin, Sooke, which are part of the Capital Regional District. The
metropolitan area also includes several Indian reserves (the governments of
which are not part of the regional district). Almost half of the Vancouver
Island population is located in Greater Victoria.
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