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Occupying almost a million square kilometres, British Columbia is larger than
California, Oregon and Washington states combined, or the combined area of
France and Germany.
British Columbia has a highly diverse natural environment, population, and economic base. The province’s innovative and skilled workforce, rich natural resources, unrivaled quality of life and gateway location between North America and Asia provide the foundation for almost unlimited economic opportunities.
The following “quick facts” present a thumbnail
sketch of British Columbia’s features. But to get the full
picture you simply have to be here. Contact
us, and we’ll help put you in the picture.
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| Population 2001 (Census) |
|
3,907,738 |
| Population 2006 (Census) |
|
4,113,487 |
| Population Growth 2001-2006 |
|
205,749 |
| Total International Immigration 2006 |
|
42,208 |
| Median Age 2006 (years) |
|
40.8 |
|
| Vancouver |
|
2,116,581 |
| Victoria |
|
330,088 |
| Kelowna |
|
162,276 |
| Abbotsford |
|
159,020 |
| Kamloops |
|
92,882 |
| Nanaimo |
|
92,361 |
| Prince George |
|
83,225 |
| *Figures are for census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations. |
|
| British |
|
20.3% |
| Canadian |
|
17.8% |
| Chinese |
|
15.3% |
| Western European |
|
9.1% |
| East Indian |
|
7.4% |
| Southeast Asian |
|
6.8% |
| Eastern European |
|
5.3% |
| Southern European |
|
4.7% |
| First Nations (Aboriginal) |
|
4.1% |
| All Others |
|
9.2% |
|
| English |
|
3,763,040 |
| French |
|
271,175 |
|
| 1 Chinese |
|
375,815 |
| 2 Punjabi |
|
142,785 |
| 3 German |
|
119,280 |
| 4 Spanish |
|
77,300 |
| 5 Hindi |
|
63,745 |
| 6 Tagalog (Filipino) |
|
52,655 |
| 7 Italian |
|
42,720 |
| 8 Dutch |
|
32,320 |
| 9 Japanese |
|
31,310 |
| 10 Vietnamese |
|
29,835 |
|
|
|
|
| Total |
|
66.3% |
| Male |
|
71.7% |
| Female |
|
61.0% |
| Average Unemployment Rate 2007 |
|
4.2% |
|
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Total Area
|
|
95 Million Hectares |
Protected Areas
(Parks and Ecological Reserves)
|
|
11 Million Hectares |
Productive Forest
|
|
50 Million Hectares |
|
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|
|
| July |
|
17.2 ºC
63.0 ºF |
|
15.3 ºC
59.5 ºF |
| December |
|
3.5 ºC
38.3 ºF |
|
-8.4 ºC
16.9 ºF |
| Total Annual Rainfall |
|
111.7 cm
44.0 in |
|
41.5 cm
16.3 in |
| Total Annual Snowfall |
|
54.9 cm
21.6 in |
|
233.8 cm
92.0 in |
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|
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| Gross Domestic Product (Estimate) |
|
$180 billion |
| Total Goods Exports |
|
$33.5 billion |
|
|
| Wood Products |
|
$8.8 billion |
| Paper Products |
|
$4.8 billion |
| Machinery and Equipment |
|
$3.4 billion |
| Minerals and Coal |
|
$6.4 billion |
| Agri-Food and Fish Products |
|
$2.4 billion |
| Natural Gas |
|
$3.0 billion |
|
|
| United States |
|
61% |
| Japan |
|
14% |
| China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan |
|
7% |
|
|
| Construction |
|
196,900 |
| Manufacturing |
|
205,100 |
| Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing |
|
145,000 |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services |
|
166,300 |
| Accommodation & Food Services |
|
172,700 |
| Total Employment in B.C. |
|
2,266,300 |
|
|
| |
| West Fraser Timber |
|
Forest Products |
|
6,900 |
| Tolko Industries |
|
Wood Products |
|
4,800 |
| Catalyst Paper Corp |
|
Pulp and Paper Products |
|
3,800 |
| Canfor |
|
Wood Products |
|
3,712 |
| Terasen |
|
Energy Distribution &
Transportation |
|
960 |
|
|
| |
| Electronic Arts |
|
Electronic Games |
|
1,800 |
| Kodak |
|
Digital Printing Technology |
|
1,400 |
| SAP/Business Objects |
|
Enterprise Software |
|
1,400 |
| IBM Canada |
|
E-business and E-learning |
|
850 |
| MacDonald Dettwiler |
|
Earth Observation Systems and GIS |
|
826 |
|
|
| |
| Telus |
|
Telecommunications |
|
8,000 |
| HSBC Bank Canada |
|
Banking and Financial Services |
|
3,536 |
| Accenture |
|
Management Consulting |
|
2,000 (GVRD) |
| Ledcor |
|
Construction |
|
937 |
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| Premier of British Columbia |
|
Gordon Campbell
(BC Liberal Party) |
| Provincial Capital |
|
Victoria |
|
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| Total Seats |
|
79 |
| BC Liberal Party |
|
46 |
| NDP (New Democratic Party) |
|
33 |
|
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| Date of Last Provincial Election |
|
17 May 2005 |
| Date of Next Provincial Election |
|
12 May 2009 |
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| Provincial Government Budget (2006-07) |
|
$35.4 billion |
| Health Care Budget |
|
$11.9 billion |
| Education Budget |
|
$7.02 billion |
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| Moody’s |
|
Aaa |
| Standard and Poor’s |
|
AA+ |
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Source: BC Stats; Statistics Canada; BC Ministry of Finance;
Business in Vancouver; BC Business
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