British Columbia

a western province of Canada. It lies on the Pacific coast between the frontiers of Washington and Alaska. Its coast line is about 500 miles in length. The Cascade and Rocky Mountains of the western United States continue northward through the province, which possesses a full share of impressive and picturesque scenery. Its waters chiefly seek the Pacific. The largest river is the Fraser which drains the high tableland between the two ranges named above. The Columbia drains the Kootenai region with its famous mountain lakes. The coast region is covered with a tremendous growth of fir; the waters are stocked with fish, especially salmon. The valleys are fertile and yield crops of small grain and hay, and are wonderfully adapted to fruit raising. The Canadian Pacific traverses the province from east to west. Its western terminus is Vancouver. Victoria, the capital of the province, is on Vancouver Island. Puget Sound is one of the greatest roadsteads in the world. Timber, canned salmon, furs, and hides are the principal exports. Coal is exported. The province is a country of untold possibilities. Area, 310,191 square miles. Population in 1906, about 250,000. See Canada; Vancouver; Alaska