To the West lies the Pacific Ocean while the Rocky Mountains stand tall to the East, BC is one truly unique place to live in the world, let alone Canada. The Yukon to the North and the USA to the South, no one can deny the majesty of British Columbia. BC has the greatest diversity of Aboriginal cultures in Canada, home to 198 First Nations. For example, seven of Canada’s 11 unique language families are located exclusively in BC – more than 60% of the country’s First Nations languages.
Ten British Columbia Fun Facts:
- Queen Victoria bestowed British Columbia its name.
- BC was the 6th province added to Canada, and it joined confederation on July 20th, 1871
- The official motto of BC is “Splendour without Diminishment.” “Splendor Sine Occasu” in Latin.
- The longest river in BC is the Fraser, at 1,399 km
- The provincial flower of BC is the Dogwood
- Completed in 1921, the Peace Arch was built to mark 100 years of peace between Canada and the USA.
- BC is the only province in Canada to boast the West Coast Special – which means a person can ski and golf in the same day
- Women make up more than 37% of self-employed people in BC, second highest in Canada
- ORCA FM, the world’s first “all whales, all the time” radio station, was started on Vancouver Island in 1998
- BC is one of the top 3 producing regions of cranberries and blueberries in the world
BONUS: British Columbian residents are healthy! In 2014, BC’s population had the lowest percentage of smokers at 14.3% compared to all other provinces.
As you celebrate this great province over the long weekend, be safe! Happy BC Day to you and yours!
Ian Power
@ianonair
ian@pulsefm.ca