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Vancouver is a city on the southwest coast of Canada, with 603,502 inhabitants in the center (2011) the largest city in the province of British Columbia and at the same time the largest by far west of Toronto. It is located between the Strait of Georgia and the coastal mountains, about 45 km northwest of the border with the United States. The city belongs to the Metro Vancouver Regional District, which in 2007 was inhabited by about 2.25 million people. The population of the city of Vancouver proper was exactly 611,869.
Vancouver got its name after the British captain George Vancouver, who explored the region at the end of the 18th century. The city emerged in the 1860s as a result of the wave of immigration during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and developed into a metropolis within a few decades after the opening of the transcontinental railway in 1887, but Victoria remained the capital of the province. Initially, the economy was based on the exploitation of the natural resources of the province: forestry, mining, fishing and agriculture. The port gained international importance after the opening of the Panama Canal. It is now the largest in Canada and exports more goods than any other port in North America. The most important employers today are companies in the service industries, and tourism is expanding particularly rapidly. It is also the third most important location of the North American film industry after Los Angeles and New York and is therefore also referred to as “Hollywood North”.
On the west coast of Canada, Vancouver stretches in an incomparable location between the rugged mountains of the Coast Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The city is located on the border with the United States in the estuary delta of the Fraser River. It is protected from the rough ocean by the offshore island of Vancouver Island.
Vancouver is a city of diversity. More than 2.4 million people live in the Greater Vancouver area, around half of all British Columbia residents. The city itself has about half a million inhabitants from various countries as well as members of the First nations.
Skyscrapers and spacious parks are located close to each other. The UBC Museum of Anthropology introduces you to the culture of the First Nations, galleries, music and art festivals represent a wide variety of cultures. Extensive shopping streets and beautifully restored historic districts such as Gastown invite you to stroll. In the latter, once a dilapidated port district, restaurants and boutiques are now located. A unique mix of cool big city vibe, different cultural influences and a lot of nature – that’s Vancouver!
Is Vancouver in USA or Canada?
Why are there two Vancouver’s?
Is Vancouver in Ontario Canada?
Is Vancouver French or English speaking?
