BRITISH COLUMBIA, the most west erly province of the Dominion of Canada, lies on the Pacific Ocean, and has a series of coast line fiords or passages unexcelled on any shore in the world. The province extends from south to north from lat. 49° N. to lat. 60° N. Its eastern boundary follows the crest of the Rocky Mountains as far as 55° N. and then follows long. 120° W. up to lat. 60° N. British Co lumbia has a total land area of 355,855 square miles, almost exactly three times the extent of the British Isles. There are in addition 16 inland lakes with an area of 2,439 square miles. It is the third province of Canada in size.
Climate.—The climate of British Colum bia is varied. The Japan current on the Pacific Ocean acts in the same way as the Gulf Stream on the Atlantic, and on the coast region makes a mild though at certain seasons a very wet climate. But the damp breezes from the Pacific Ocean having deposited their moisture on the west slope of the Coast Range pass over east ward as dry Chinook winds, so that 150 miles from the coast are found the Okanagan and Thompson River valleys where irrigation is required. As water is plentiful on the mountain slopes, fruit growing is carried on successfully in this irrigated region. Every variety of climate is thus obtainable in British Columbia, from the humid flats of the Pacific islands and coast mainland to the dry plains of the interior, and then to the icy cold and perpetual snow of the Rocky Mountain slopes. The valleys thus grow cereals in some parts, on the lower lands luxuriant grasses, and fruit of every kind in many places. The climate of Vancouver Island and the mainland coast is dry in summer, some what rainy in winter, but never hot nor ex tremely cold. This region is a favorite resort for people from the prairie country seeking a more balmy climate.
Physical Geography and Mining.— The greater part of British Columbia is made up of mountains, elevated plateaus and valleys — in cluding the Rockies and Selkirks on the east and the Coast and Island ranges on the west, with an average height of about 8,000 feet. To the west of the great ranges there is a wide and elevated plateau in which is to be found extensive agricultural areas. From and through these great mountains run several large rivers — the Columbia, the Fraser, the Skeena, the Stikine, the Liard, the Peace and their tributaries. Naturally the initial resources
and development of such a region would be minerals, timber, fish and similar products. The total mineral products of the province up to and including 1916 has been $559,000,000. The first gold production was in the placer-mining period from 1862 onward, when the banks of the *golden' Fraser and other creeks or rivers yielded some $50,000,000. Then commenced (about 1895) the serious lode mining which is now running into $5,000,000 yearly. The total production of placer and lode gold up to the end of 1916 was $165,500,000; that of silver, $441,400,000; of lead, $36,000,000; of copper, $115,200,000; of coal and coke, $166,500,000; of zinc, $6,800,000; besides lime, building stone, brick, etc. The total production of the mines in 1895 was $1,266,954; in 1900 it was $4,732,105; in 1911 it was $23,499,072, in 1916 $43,000,000.
The country is divided into districts. Koo tenay has an area of 17,000,000 acres and con tains a amount of agricultural land, some of it requiring irrigation. The name is syn onymous with the idea of mineral wealth and its mountains are rich in gold, silver, coal, lead, copper and zinc. In the last 20 years a number of towns have grown up around and in connec tion with these mines — Revelstoke, Nelson, Kaslo, Rossland, Trail!, New Denver, Sandon, Slocan City, Ferule, Cranbrook, Golden, etc. Yale has about the same area and includes the rich valleys of the Okanagan, the Nicola, the Similkameen and the Kettle River country. It has large cattle ranges and fruit farms as well as the Boundary mineral region. Lillooet con tains some 10,000,000 acres, is bisected by the Fraser River and well adapted for cattle raising and dairying. Big game is common and there is still some placer mining. Westminster is about half the size of Lillooet and includes the Fraser River Valley, which has one of the largest compact areas of agricultural land in the province. Lumbering is an important in dustry and salmon-canning its best known business. Cariboo was the centre of the great placer mining excitement of the sixties, when so much gold was taken out of its creeks. Hydraulic mining is now conducted on a con siderable scale. Cassiar is largely unexplored. There have been gold discoveries in Omenica, in the vicinity of Dease Lake, in the Atlin country and Skeena.