Wikipedia

British Columbia Coast

TheBritish Columbia Coast,popularly referred to as theBC Coastor simply theCoast,is a geographic region of theCanadian provinceofBritish Columbia.As the entire western continental coastline of Canada along thePacific Oceanis in the province, it is synonymous with being theWest Coast of Canada.

British Columbia Coast
French:Côte de la Colombie-Britannique
Region
Nickname:
"The Coast"
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Principal cities
List
Area
[1]
• 15 Districts244,778 km2(94,509 sq mi)
Highest elevation

Mt. Waddington
4,019 m (13,186 ft)
Lowest elevation

Sea level
0 m (0 ft)
Population
(2016)
3,686,900[2]
• Density80.24/km2(207.8/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−08:00(PST)
• Summer (DST)UTC−07:00(PDT)
Postal code prefixes
V
Area codes236,250,604,672,778

While the exact boundaries are variously defined, the region is generally defined to include the 15regional districtsthat have coastline along the Pacific Ocean orSalish Sea,or are part of theLower Mainland,asubregionof the British Columbia Coast. Other boundaries may exclude parts of or even entire regional districts, such as those of the aforementionedLower Mainland.

Boundaries

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While the termBritish Columbia Coasthas been recorded from the earliest period of non-native settlement in British Columbia, it has never been officially defined in legal terms. The term has historically been in popular usage for over a century to describe a region of the province that extends west from theCoast MountainsandNorth Cascades.This definition makes the termBritish Columbia Coastlargely synonymous with the 15 regional districts that have territory in this region.

Major subregions

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Among locals, the British Columbia Coast can further be divided into seven major subregions:

History

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Main article:History of British Columbia

Research from the 1990s has indicated that the Ice Age-era coastline of the British Columbia Coast was lower by about 100 m (330 ft). The effect of the sea level on the coastline was such thatQueen Charlotte Sound,which is between Haida Gwaii and the northern end of Vancouver Island, was a coastal plain, as were all the straits inland from it, except for those that were mountain valleys.

Underwaterarchaeologyhas shown the presence of permanent human habitations and other activity at the 100 m (330 ft) contour, and the Ice Age existence of such a coastal plain has put a new light on Ice Age populations in North America as well as on the strong likelihood of this area having been the major migration route from (and perhaps to)Asia.

The heavy indentation and mild climate of the British Columbia Coast have led to inevitable comparisons with the geography's predisposition to encouraging increased human settlement and movement as well as cultural foment and population growth in the Aegean, the Irish Sea/Hebrides and in the Danish Archipelago and adjoiningScandinaviancoasts.

The natural fecundity of the environment – rich inseafood,wild game,and greenery – combined with the ease of travel (by water) is seen in all cases (British Columbia,Denmark,Greece) to have generated a dynamic and gifted civilization. And there are comparisons to be made between the artistic and political and social level of the Pacific Northwest Peoples and those of pre-Conversion pagan Scandinavia,Irelandand Archaic-Era Greece.[citation needed]

Geography

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See also:Geography of British Columbia

The British Columbia Coast stretches from the southern tip ofVancouver Islandalong theStrait of Juan de Fucato thecommunityofStewartat the head ofPortland Canal.The aerial distance between these two points is approximately 954 km (593 mi). However, due to its deeply incised coastline and over 40,000 islands of varying sizes, the total length of the British Columbia Coast is over 25,725 km (15,985 mi), or approximately 10% of the entire Canadian coastline. This coastal geography is shared with the neighbouringU.S. statesofAlaskaandWashington.[4]

The dominant landforms are theInsular MountainsofVancouver IslandandHaida Gwaii,and theCoast Mountainsthat stretch along the entire length of the coast. The proximity of these mountains to the coast producefjordsthat rival those ofNorwayin length and depth. Several large Islands fill the strait between Vancouver Island and the Mainland withTexada Island,Cortes IslandandSalt Spring Islandbeing the largest in size. Fjords of note includeBurrard Inlet,Burke Channel,Howe Sound,Jervis Inlet,Desolation Sound,Dean Channel,Douglas Channel,andPortland Inlet.

Climate

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The BC Coast is dominated by a moderateoceanic climate(Köppen:Cfb) with warm summers, cool winters, and constant rainfall that peaks during the winter months. These areas enjoy the mildest winter weather in all of Canada, as temperatures rarely fall below freezing.

The southernmost region of the coast (surrounding theSalish Sea) features awarm-summer Mediterranean climatewith warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. This gradually transitions to a predominantly oceanic climate in the north along the coast and further inland into the foothills of thePacific Ranges.Higher elevations feature asubpolar oceanic climate(Köppen:Cfc) with cool summers, cold winters, and constant rainfall that peaks during the winter months. The highest elevations feature asubarctic climate(Köppen:Dfc).

Ecology

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Temperate rainforestecosystem inGaribaldi Provincial Park

The British Columbia Coast is dominated bytemperate rainforest.According to theecoregion systemused by theWorld Wide Fund for Nature(WWF), the BC Coast is part of five distinct ecoregions:Puget lowland forests,Central Pacific coastal forests,British Columbia mainland coastal forests,Haida Gwaii coastal forests,andPacific Coastal Mountain icefields and tundra.

According to theecozone systemused byEnvironment and Climate Change Canada(ECCC), the BC Coast is part of four distinct ecozones:Pacific Coastal Mountains,Coastal Western Hemlock-Sitka Spruce Forests,Pacific and Nass Ranges,andStrait of Georgia/Puget Lowland.

According to theBritish Columbia Ministry of Forests,which uses anecosystem classification systemindependent of theWWFandECCC,the BC Coast is part of two distinct biogeoclimatic zones:Coastal Western HemlockandCoastal Douglas-fir.

Demographics

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Regional districts

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Below are the 15regional districtsof British Columbia defined as being in the Coast region:

British Columbia regional districts as of January 29, 2020[5]
Name Population
(2016)[2][6] 		Area
(km2) 		Density
(/km2)
 Head office
location
Alberni-Clayoquot 30,981 6,588 4.7 Port Alberni
Capital 383,360 2,340 163.8 Victoria
Central Coast 3,319 24,492 0.14 Bella Coola
Comox Valley 66,527 1,701 39.1 Courtenay
Cowichan Valley 83,739 3,475 24.1 Duncan
Fraser Valley 295,934 13,335 22.2 Chilliwack
Kitimat–Stikine 37,367 104,461 0.36 Terrace
Metro Vancouver 2,463,431 2,883 854.5 Burnaby
Mount Waddington 11,035 20,244 0.55 Port McNeill
Nanaimo 155,698 2,038 76.4 Nanaimo
North Coast 18,133 19,781 0.92 Prince Rupert
qathet 20,070 5,075 4.0 Powell River
Squamish-Lillooet 42,665 16,310 2.6 Pemberton
Strathcona 44,671 18,278 2.4 Campbell River
Sunshine Coast 29,970 3,777 7.9 Sechelt

Culture

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ʼNamgisBig House and totem pole nearAlert Bay

Economy

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Fishing

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Trawlingforherringin theSalish Sea
See also:List of canneries in British Columbia

The fishery of the Pacific Northwest Coast is legendary, especially for its manysalmonruns and the cultures that built on top of them throughout the region. Salmon runs have greatly diminished since pre-Contact years and the advent of commercial canning and, ultimately, depletion of stocks by high-seas fishing.

Other commercial fisheries includehalibut,herringand herring roe,sea urchinand other specialtysushis,hake,haddock,cod,crab and shellfish.

Transportation

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Highways

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The Coast Region of B.C is connected to the rest of B.C by various roads depending on the region.

The populous Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland is linked to the rest of the province byHighway 1(Fraser Canyon Highway),Highway 5(Coquihalla Freeway),Highway 3(Crowsnest Highway) andHighway 99(Sea to Sky Highway). The Lower Mainland is also connected to the U.S. by four highway border crossings with thePeace ArchonInterstate 5being the largest. Several freeways connect lower mainland communities together.

The backbone of Vancouver Island's highway network is theHighway 19which along with a portion of Highway 1 forms theIsland Highway.The Island highway is a mix of 4-lane freeway, 4 lane arterial highway and 2 lane highway running roughly along the east shore of Vancouver Island. Access to the west coast of Vancouver Island can be accomplished by crossing mountain passes onHighway 4toTofinoandHighway 28toGold River.Thousands of other roads ranging from small freeways near Victoria to logging roads exist all over the Island.

Although the Sunshine Coast is on the mainland it is connected to the highway network only by ferries. It has one route which isHighway 101,a narrow curvy 2 lane road split in two by a ferry crossing.Texada Island,a large island off the Sunshine Coast and has its own network of highway standard roads although they are unnumbered.

Owing to the challenging topography of the British Columbia Coast, there is no north–south highway linking the coastal communities of the province betweenPort HardyandKitimat.Instead, travellers utilize one of the coastal ferry lines operated byBC Ferries.The exceptions areBella Coolais accessible by a long largely gravelHighway 20from the B.C interior over a high pass; and the towns ofTerrace,Prince RupertandKitimatwhich is assessed from the B.C. interior onHighway 16.

Haida Gwaii has an extension ofHighway 16on it, one of Haida Gwaii's few paved roads.

Maritime routes

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BC Ferries'Northern Expeditionsails daily along theInside Passageroute connectingPrince RupertandPort Hardy

The sheltered waterways of the British Columbia Coast form part of theInside Passage,a coastalmaritime routealong which vessels navigate to avoid the rough waters and bad weather of the openNorth Pacific.As such, the maritime route is heavily trafficked bycruise ships,cargo ships,ferries,and other marine vessels.

BC Ferries,an independently managedpublicly-owned company,operates scheduled daily crossings between major population centres throughout the British Columbia Coast. Dozens of smaller ferries ply lesser routes within and between these regions. TheAlaska Marine Highwayalso operates nonstop ferry service through the British Columbia Coast along its Bellingham-Ketchikan route.[7]

Ports

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ThePort of Vancouveris the largest commercial shippingportin all of Canada and along the entire Pacific Ocean / Pacific coast of North America bymetric tons,which handles a total cargo volume of 76.5 million metric tons.[8]By the same metric, the Port of Vancouver is also the fifth largest commercial shipping port in North America.[9]

ThePort of Prince Rupertpossesses the deepestice-freenatural harbourin North America, and the 3rd deepest natural harbour in the world.[10]Situated at 54° North, the harbour is the northwesternmost port in North America linked to the continent's railway network. The port is the first inbound and last outbound port of call for somecargo shipstravelling between eastern Asia and western North America since it is the closest North American port to key Asian destinations.[11][12]


Rail

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See also:Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia
CPR train traversing theStoney Creek Bridge

See also

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References

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  1. ^"2016 British Columbia Census Total Population Results".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-07-24.Retrieved2019-10-23.
  2. ^abPopulation Estimates – Province of British Columbia
  3. ^Government of Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2013-05-14)."North Coast Fisheries | Pacific Region | Fisheries and Oceans Canada".www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca.Retrieved2020-10-06.
  4. ^Sebert, L.M., and M. R. Munro. 1972. Dimensions and Areas of Maps of the National Topographic System of Canada. Technical Report 72-1. Ottawa: Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Surveys and Mapping Branch.
  5. ^"Municipal and sub-provincial areas population, 2011 to 2019".Government of British Columbia. Archived fromthe originalon January 29, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 29,2020.
  6. ^"2016 British Columbia Census Total Population Results".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-07-24.Retrieved2017-10-25.
  7. ^"Alaska State Ferry Route | Alaska Marine Highway System".dot.alaska.gov.Retrieved2020-09-05.
  8. ^"World Port Rankings – 2005"ArchivedSeptember 27, 2007, at theWayback Machine– Port Industry Statistics –American Association of Port Authorities(AAPA) – Updated May 1, 2007 – (Microsoft Excel *.XLS document)
  9. ^"North American Port Container Traffic – 2006"Archived2008-12-19 at theWayback Machine– Port Industry Statistics –American Association of Port Authorities(AAPA) – Updated May 14, 2007 – (Adobe Acrobat *.PDF document)
  10. ^Prince RupertArchived2011-06-11 at theWayback Machinewww.vancouverisland.com
  11. ^"Shortest sailing time to Asian markets gives Prince Rupert Port a major edge in exports".Export Development Canada.28 February 2018.Retrieved11 September2019.
  12. ^"Prince Rupert Transit Time Advantage".CN.Canadian National Railway.Retrieved11 September2019.
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