British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, a mountainous land of forests, fjords, and Pacific coastline stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the sea. Its mild, spectacular coast, where most of its roughly five and a half million people live, is home to the great port city of Vancouver, while the capital, Victoria, sits on Vancouver Island. Rich in timber, minerals, and natural beauty, and a gateway between Canada and Asia, British Columbia is known for its dramatic scenery and its outdoor way of life.

British Columbia's history runs from the rich cultures of its coastal First Nations, through the fur trade and the gold rushes that brought a colony into being, to its entry into Canada on the promise of a railway to the Pacific.

Long before Europeans came, the Pacific coast was home to some of the most populous and artistically accomplished Indigenous nations in the Americas, among them the Haida, the Coast Salish, and many others. Sustained by the abundance of the sea, above all the salmon, they built great cedar houses and carved the towering totem poles for which the coast is famous.

A totem pole of the Pacific Northwest, carved by the Indigenous peoples of the coast. British Columbia was home to some of the richest and most artistically accomplished First Nations in the Americas, sustained by the abundance of the sea.
A totem pole of the Pacific Northwest, carved by the Indigenous peoples of the coast. British Columbia was home to some of the richest and most artistically accomplished First Nations in the Americas, sustained by the abundance of the sea.Credit: H at English Wikipedia (Public domain).

European contact came by sea and through the fur trade, and the region was drawn into the reach of Britain and the Hudson's Bay Company. Everything changed with the gold rushes, beginning on the Fraser River in 1858, which brought a sudden flood of prospectors and led Britain to establish the colony of British Columbia to keep order and hold the land.

A stagecoach of the Barnard Express serving the Cariboo goldfields. The gold rushes that began on the Fraser River in 1858 drew a flood of prospectors and led Britain to establish the colony of British Columbia.
A stagecoach of the Barnard Express serving the Cariboo goldfields. The gold rushes that began on the Fraser River in 1858 drew a flood of prospectors and led Britain to establish the colony of British Columbia.Credit: Charles Gentile / Library and Archives Canada / C-088919 (Public domain).

In 1871 the colony joined the young Dominion of Canada as its sixth province, tempted into Confederation by the promise of a railway linking it to the east. The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 fulfilled that promise, binding the distant Pacific province to the rest of the country and opening it to settlement and trade.

British Columbia is the most mountainous province in Canada, a rugged land where range after range runs from the Rocky Mountains in the east to the deeply indented Pacific coast. Between the mountains lie high plateaus and dry interior valleys, while the coast is a maze of fjords and islands cloaked in temperate rainforest. This immense variety of terrain gives the province a striking range of climates, from the mild, rainy coast to the snowy peaks and the semi-desert of the southern interior.

A map of British Columbia, a vast and mountainous province on the Pacific coast. Ranges run the length of the province, cut by deep valleys and fjords and fronting a long, island-studded shore.
A map of British Columbia, a vast and mountainous province on the Pacific coast. Ranges run the length of the province, cut by deep valleys and fjords and fronting a long, island-studded shore.Credit: Unknown (Public domain).
The Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The mild, island-sheltered southwest coast, where most British Columbians live, is the populous heart of the province.
The Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The mild, island-sheltered southwest coast, where most British Columbians live, is the populous heart of the province.Credit: Unknown (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, which form the eastern boundary of British Columbia. The province is the most mountainous in Canada.
Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, which form the eastern boundary of British Columbia. The province is the most mountainous in Canada.Credit: Tim Gouw punttim (CC0).
The alpine waters of Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park, high in the Rockies. British Columbia's mountains hold some of the most celebrated scenery in the country.
The alpine waters of Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park, high in the Rockies. British Columbia's mountains hold some of the most celebrated scenery in the country.Credit: Zeljko Kozomara (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park, among the highest waterfalls in Canada, fed by a mountain glacier. Meltwater from the peaks feeds the province's great rivers.
Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park, among the highest waterfalls in Canada, fed by a mountain glacier. Meltwater from the peaks feeds the province's great rivers.Credit: Deror_avi (CC BY-SA 4.0).

British Columbia is governed as a parliamentary democracy, with an elected Legislative Assembly that sits in the capital, Victoria, and a premier who leads the government, while a lieutenant governor represents the Crown. As of 2026 the premier is David Eby, leader of the New Democratic Party, whose government was re-elected in 2024, and the lieutenant governor is Wendy Cocchia. The province's politics have long swung between the New Democrats and parties of the centre-right, and issues of housing, resources, and the environment loom large.

The British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria, the provincial capital, overlooking the harbour. Opened in 1898, they are the seat of the province's Legislative Assembly.
The British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria, the provincial capital, overlooking the harbour. Opened in 1898, they are the seat of the province's Legislative Assembly.Credit: Ryan Bushby (HighInBC) (CC BY 2.5).
David Eby, premier of British Columbia since 2022 and leader of the New Democratic Party, which won re-election in 2024. The premier leads the government in Victoria.
David Eby, premier of British Columbia since 2022 and leader of the New Democratic Party, which won re-election in 2024. The premier leads the government in Victoria.Credit: BC NDP (CC BY 2.0).

British Columbia's economy grew from its natural riches, above all the forests that made it Canada's leading producer of timber, along with mining, fishing, and hydroelectric power. Today it is far more diverse: the great Port of Vancouver is Canada's gateway for trade across the Pacific to Asia, and the province has thriving film and technology industries, tourism drawn by its scenery, and the wine and fruit of its warm interior valleys. Its position on the Pacific ties its fortunes closely to Asia.

Vineyards above Lake Okanagan in the warm, dry interior valleys. The Okanagan is the heart of British Columbia's wine and fruit growing, a striking contrast to the rainy coast.
Vineyards above Lake Okanagan in the warm, dry interior valleys. The Okanagan is the heart of British Columbia's wine and fruit growing, a striking contrast to the rainy coast.Credit: Kelly Nigro (CC BY 2.0).

The flag of British Columbia bears the Union Jack across the top, with a golden crown at its centre, above a golden half-sun setting over blue and white wavy stripes. The Union Jack marks the province's origins as a British colony, while the setting sun and the waves represent its position on the Pacific, at the western edge of the country. The dogwood, with its white flowers, is the provincial emblem, and the towering Pacific dogwood and western red cedar are cherished symbols of the province.

British Columbia is one of Canada's most diverse and outward-looking societies, its cities, above all Vancouver, home to large and long-established Asian-Canadian communities and shaped by immigration across the Pacific. It is famous for a relaxed, active culture built around its mountains, forests, and sea, from skiing and hiking to sailing and surfing. The province also leads the country in the revival and recognition of Indigenous cultures, whose art and heritage are woven into its identity.

A hiker on a high trail above Whistler, one of the world's leading ski and mountain resorts. British Columbia's mountains, forests, and coast underpin a famous culture of outdoor life.
A hiker on a high trail above Whistler, one of the world's leading ski and mountain resorts. British Columbia's mountains, forests, and coast underpin a famous culture of outdoor life.Credit: Murray Foubister (CC BY-SA 2.0).

British Columbia has a population of around five and a half million people, the third most of any province. The great majority live in the mild southwest, above all in Greater Vancouver, one of the most diverse and expensive cities in Canada, and around Victoria on Vancouver Island. Drawn by immigration from Asia and around the world, and home to many First Nations, the province has a richly multicultural population, though its beauty and desirability have brought some of the highest housing costs in the country.