The capital of British Columbia is Victoria.
The Postal Code for British Columbia: BC
The typical abbreviation for British Columbia: B.C.
Keeping in mind that Canada is officially bilingual, the French name for British Columbia is 'Colombie-Britannique'
(which is abbreviated: C.-B.).
Time Zone:
Most of British Columbia lies in the Pacific Time (PST/PDT) zone and observes daylight saving time.
A portion of eastern British Columbia, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Alberta border, lies in the Mountain Time (MST/MDT) zone.
Some of the communities in the Mountain Time zone observe daylight saving time and others do not.
| Note: |
Starting in 2007, Daylight Savings Time will be begin 3 weeks earlier and end 1 week later.
Click here for details. |
When the people of British Columbia refer to themselves: British Columbian
Population: Based on the StatCan estimates, British Columbia has a population of 4,310,500 people.
This represents 13.21% of the national total, making it the 3rd most populous province/territory.
The following are population changes since the last StatCan census. The population counts for the years after 2001 are estimates.
| Year | Population | Change |
| 2006 | 4,310,500 | +1.24% since 2005 |
| 2005 | 4,257,800 | +1.30% since 2004 |
| 2004 | 4,203,300 | +1.15% since 2003 |
| 2003 | 4,155,400 | +0.97% since 2002 |
| 2002 | 4,115,400 | +0.91% since 2001 |
| 2001 | 4,078,400 | Last Census Count |
Canada has two official languages: English and French. English is the most common language spoken in British Columbia,
where approximately 90% of the residents speak only English (ie- Anglophones).
Area:
The area of British Columbia is 587,031 square miles (1,520,403.30 km²).
This represents 9.46% of the national total.
British Columbia ranks as the 5th largest province/territory.
Density:
The population density of British Columbia is 7.50 people per square mile (2.90 people/km²).
British Columbia ranks 7th in population density.
Nickname for British Columbia: "The Pacific Province"
Provincial Motto: "Splendor Sine Occasu" (Splendour without diminishment)
Provincial Bird: Stellar's Jay (cyanocitta stelleri)
Provincial Tree: Western Red Cedar (thuja plicata donn)
Provincial Flower: Pacific Dogwood (cornus nuttalli)
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Confederation:
British Columbia joined the Confederation on Jul 20, 1871.
Useful State Links
The provincial website for British Columbia can be found at:
The portal for British Columbia tourism:
For information about British Columbia fishing regulations and licenses requirements:
For information about British Columbia hunting regulations and licenses requirements:
Communities Ranked by Population (Top-15)
 
| Rank | City | 2001
Population | National
Rank |
| 1 | Vancouver | 545,671 | 7 |
| 2 | Surrey | 347,825 | 9 |
| 3 | Burnaby | 193,954 | 16 |
| 4 | Richmond | 164,345 | 20 |
| 5 | Abbotsford | 115,463 | 27 |
| 6 | Coquitlam | 112,890 | 29 |
| 7 | Kelowna | 96,288 | 36 |
| 8 | Kamloops | 77,281 | 42 |
| 9 | Victoria | 74,125 | 44 |
| 10 | Nanaimo | 73,000 | 46 |
| 11 | Prince George | 72,406 | 47 |
| 12 | Chilliwack | 62,927 | 56 |
| 13 | New Westminister | 54,656 | 59 |
| 14 | Port Coquitlam | 51,257 | 62 |
| 15 | North Vancouver | 44,303 | 70 |
Miscellaneous Information
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