B.C. is a haven for bird watchers. It's estimated that over one million birds use the Pacific Flyway, two of the many species that use this corridor are the rufous hummingbirds and the Snow geese.


Animals include moose, Rocky Mountain elk, deer, woodland caribou, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, black bears, grizzly bears, cougars, and the hoary marmots. Subspecies of the black bear include the Kermode white bear that lives in the Terrace-Kitimat region and the glacier bear that's found in the northwest area of the province.


Sea life is abundant in B.C. coastal waters. Pacific gray whales migrate along the west coast of Vancouver Island, orcas (killer whales) live in the east coast water of Vancouver Island. Occasionally minke whales are seen, and recently humpback whales have been spotted. Harbour seals are common. There are Stellar and California sea lion colonies.


Five different species of salmon live in Pacific waters. Lingcod and halibut are also found in waters along the coast. B.C. inland streams and lakes offer cutthroat, rainbow and Dolly Varden trout and kokanee salmon.


British Columbia is the third largest and most westerly province in Canada, it's larger than any of the U.S. states, except Alaska, and is four times larger than Great Britain. The Yukon and Northwest Territories form B.C.'s northern border that stretches for 1062 km (669 mi.) along the 60th parallel, and to the east B.C. and the province of Alberta share a common boundary that runs in a northerly and southerly direction, as it follows the Rocky Mountains for 1545 km (973 mi.). To the south, British Columbia's neighbours are the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana, this border on the 49th parallel is 650 km (409 mi.) long. Forming the west boundary of B.C. is the Pacific Ocean. The distance of this coastline that includes the mainland and all islands is more than 27,000 km (16,900 mi.).


B.C.'s total land and freshwater area is 95 million hectares, larger than France and Germany combined. Only 30 countries are larger. British Columbia occupies about 10 per cent of Canada's land surface.

Since 1992 alone, over 4.8 million hectares of B.C. have been permanently protected, creating more than 340 new parks and protected areas and additions to existing sites. 10.8 million hectares --11.36 per cent of the province -- have now been set aside.