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Regions and Cities of British Columbia
 Granville Island, Dusk, Vancouver, BC, CAN Photographic Print Gibson, Mark 12 in. x 16 in. Buy at AllPosters.com Framed Mounted Within the last century, an exceedingly diversified landscape has emerged in British Columbia. The intensively cultivated, irrigated plots of the Okanagan contrast strongly with the large cattle ranches of the Cariboo; the densely populated Lower Fraser Valley stands out against the rest of the province which, with few exceptions, is sparsely settled; the industrial city of Trail has a personality distinct from that of the many frontier towns like Prince George and Dawson Creek.
Regional differentiation has been established. Each geographic region has characteristics, both natural and cultural, which set it apart from neighboring areas, but the basic and controlling influence in British Columbia is that of topography. There are seven regions: The Southern Coastal Trench, the Coast Region, the Fraser Uplands, the Kootenay-Columbia Region, the Nechako Plateau, the Peace River Block, and, Northern British Columbia.
The Southern Coastal Trench
Although it is the smallest, the Southern Coastal Trench is the most important geographic region in British Columbia. It consists of two somewhat separate sections; the Lower Fraser Valley, and the lowlands of the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Two large cities, Vancouver and Victoria, dominate these areas, but each contains a number of smaller urban municipalities as well. Approximately 75% of the people of the province live in this region which, also, contains 35% of the cultivated land, many of the manufacturing industries, and practically all of the wholesale trading establishments. Furthermore, it is the location of the leading political, educational and cultural institutions of the province.
Structure
Structurally, the region is part of the Puget Sound Lowland, an intermountain basin, virtually enclosed by mountain ranges, extending from Tacoma, in the State of Washington, to Powell River. The central, and greater portion, has been drowned, but the margins afford an environment suitable for prosperous, close settlement.
To the west, the Olympic Mountains rise to over 5,000 feet, and the mountains in the southern section of Vancouver Island reach an elevation of 3,000 feet. Between them lies the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a water-gate which permits direct access from the Pacific to the cities of Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria.
On the east, the Coast and Cascade Mountains ascend abruptly to elevations of 6,000 feet, while, between them, the Fraser River occupies a deep, narrow and scenic canyon. This corridor is followed by all important land communication systems, linking Vancouver with the interior of the province and with all eastern centres. Without it, Vancouver would have been just another isolated little coastal town.
Climate
The region possesses strong climatic unity, being characterized throughout by a narrow seasonal range of temperature and marked seasonal variation in precipitation.
Cloudy, rainy weather prevails during the fall and winter months. From time to time, the intensification of either the Pacific or the Interior anticyclone will result in the stagnation of the air over the lowlands causing nocturnal fogs, particularly in the Lower Fraser Valley. There is little snowfall.
In the spring, rainfall diminishes and temperatures gradually rise. Many plants grow intermittently throughout the winter but, by late February, all vegetation is normally active. Spring flowers and shrubs bloom earlier here, than in any other place in Canada. July and August are dry, and irrigation is needed, particularly in the Victoria area. These mild and cloudless months have great appeal to the tourist.
Total rainfall, however, varies greatly over the region. Victoria is the driest city with 27 inches annually; Vancouver receives 60 inches; North Vancouver, 80 inches; while the lower mountain slopes get 120 inches per annum.
Vegetation
The climate encourages the growth of a luxuriant vegetation. Most of the original forest has been removed, but the Douglas firs and western red cedars in Stanley Park give evidence of its former grandeur. In the driest areas, around Victoria, a more open forest prevails, in which such trees as madrona and Garry oak indicate a similarity to some Mediterranean environments.
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