Quick Facts

Major Cities
Victoria, population 326,010, on Vancouver Island is the capital of BC. It is often referred to as the Garden City.
Vancouver, population 1,831,665, is the nation's third largest city and a vibrant cultural and business centre.
Kelowna, population 100,334, in the Southern Interior is another popular tourist destination and burgeoning high tech centre.

Time Zone
Most of British Columbia is in the Pacific/Coastal time zone, with the far south eastern corner in the Mountain time zone.

Climate
The mild coastal region receives from 130 to 380 mm of rain a year - while the Interior has a continental climate. Some parts of the Interior are nearly deserts, with an annual rainfall of less than 10 inches (250 millimetres). The valleys of the Columbia-Kootenay region have a dry climate, with an annual rainfall of 18 to 20 inches (450 to 500 millimetres). Temperatures in the far northern section of the Interior System may range from below -70 F (-57 C) in the winter to above 100 F (38 C) in the summer. In the southern section and in the Peace River country, winter temperatures are less severe. Along the South Coast, temperatures are also milder, averaging about 60 F (16 C) in July and 39 F (4 C) in January.

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