什麼是不列顛哥倫比亞

加拿大最西部一省，人口約4,029,253（1999），西臨太平洋和美國阿拉斯加州，北接育空和西北地區，東連亞伯達省，南鄰美國西北部。省會維多利亞。原由印第安原住民居住，如沿海薩利什人（Coast salish）、努特卡人、誇扣特爾人和海達人等。1578年德雷克最先發現此地，1778年科克在探勘西北航道時也經過此地。1792～1794年温哥華（George Vancouver）船長探測了沿海地區，後來有一些探險家作了幾次陸地的考察，如麥肯齊、路易斯、克拉克和弗雷澤。英國人和美國人曾為温哥華島爭議多年，直至劃歸英國為止，1849年設為皇家殖民地。1858年此片大陸地區成為不列顛哥倫比亞殖民地。1871年與温哥華一起加入加拿大，成為不列顛哥倫比亞省。該省現在繁榮的經濟基礎植基於各種豐富資源，包括林業、採礦業、農業和航運業。

British Columbia

Province (pop., 1996: 3,933,000), western Canada. It is bounded by Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Alberta, the Pacific Ocean, and the U.S. (including Alaska); its capital is Victoria. The area was inhabited by indigenous peoples, including Coast Salish, Nootka, Kwakiutl, and Haida. It was visited in 1578 by Sir Francis Drake and in 1778 by Capt. James Cook, who was searching for the Northwest Passage. Capt. George Vancouver surveyed the coast (1792-94), and overland expeditions were made by several explorers, including Alexander Mackenzie, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and Simon Fraser. The British and Americans contended over Vancouver Island for years, until it was recognized as British and made a crown colony in 1849. The mainland became the Colony of British Columbia in 1858; with the colony of Vancouver, it joined Canada in 1871 as the province of British Columbia. The province now has a prosperous economy based on diverse sources, including logging, mining, agriculture, and shipping.