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| Canada |
| Province of British Columbia |
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British Columbia is the
westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural
beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu
("Splendour without Diminishment"). Its name was chosen
by Queen Victoria in 1858. In 1871, it became the sixth province
of Canada. As well as being the westernmost province of Western
Canada, British Columbia is also a component of the Pacific
Northwest, along with the US states of Oregon and Washington. The
province has strong cultural and personal ties to the Prairie
Provinces and Ontario as well as to the West Coast of the United
States and to Alaska and the Yukon. The capital of British
Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in
Canada, named for Canada's Queen at Confederation. The largest
city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Among the provinces,
British Columbia has been distinguished by its strong liberal
views. The province's unspoiled natural beauty, untamed wild and
economic dependence on the land and natural resources in
particular are a strong embodiment of Canadian identity. Its
position as the Asia-Pacific gateway resulted in the settlement
of the province by people of Asian descent, making it one of the
most diverse and multicultural areas of Western North America, as
well as helping jumpstart trade, cultural and diplomatic
relations between Canada and the Asia-Pacific region. The
significant presence of visible minorities from British Columbia
in both the provincial and federal spheres of government also
reflects the high degree of multiculturalism that has come to be
associated with Canada. All these factors define the embodiment
of Canadian identity in British Columbia.
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