Search results
The Northwest Coast is the coastal region of the Pacific Northwest, and the Northwest Plateau (also commonly known as "the Interior" in British Columbia), is the inland region. The term "Pacific Northwest" should not be confused with the Northwest Territory (also known as the Great Northwest, a historical term in the United States) or the ...
British Columbia is considered part of the Pacific Northwest and the Cascadia bioregion, along with the American states of Alaska, Idaho, (western) Montana, Oregon, Washington, and (northern) California. Climate Köppen climate types in British Columbia The Strait of Georgia, near Vancouver
- Amanda Briney
- One of the first United States claims to the lands of the Pacific Northwest region came after Lewis and Clark explored the area in the early 1800s.
- The Pacific Northwest is highly active geologically. The region is dotted with several large active volcanoes in the Cascade Mountain Range. Such volcanoes include such Mount Shasta in northern California, Mount Hood in Oregon, Mount Saint Helens and Rainier in Washington and Mount Garibaldi in British Columbia.
- There are four mountain ranges dominating the Pacific Northwest. They are the Cascade Range, the Olympic Range, the Coast Range and parts of the Rocky Mountains.
- Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in the Pacific Northwest at 14,410 feet (4,392 m).
British Columbia. Canada’s westernmost province more than lives up to the title “Beautiful British Columbia.”. Sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, BC offers up jaw-dropping vistas of nature in all its glory everywhere you look. Within this one province you’ll find sandy beaches and surfing waves, snow capped ...
People also ask
Which US states are in the Pacific Northwest?
Where is the Pacific Northwest located?
What states border British Columbia?
Is the Pacific Northwest the same as the Great Northwest?
- Overview
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
British Columbia, westernmost of Canada’s 10 provinces. It is bounded to the north by Yukon and the Northwest Territories, to the east by the province of Alberta, to the south by the U.S. states of Montana, Idaho, and Washington, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean and the southern panhandle region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It stretches some 730 miles (1,180 km) from north to south and 640 miles (1,030 km) from east to west at its widest point. The land has a diversity of climate and scenery unparalleled in Canada, from the island-studded and fjord-indented coast to the great peaks of the western continental cordilleras, with their large interior plateaus.
One of the last regions of the North American continent to be explored and settled, British Columbia emerged in the second half of the 20th century as one of the leading provinces of Canada in population, economic wealth, and overall growth. Its main cities include Vancouver, one of the largest ports of Canada and of western North America, and Victoria, the provincial capital, located on the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island. Area 364,764 square miles (944,735 square km). Pop. (2021) 5,000,879.
The vast territory of British Columbia lies almost entirely within the great mountain system, or cordillera, that stretches along the western edge of the Americas from north of the Arctic Circle to Cape Horn, at the southernmost extremity of South America. These mountains divide the province in ranges aligned in a northwest-southeast direction, cre...
The province contains three main river systems: the Peace in the north; the Fraser, which drains nearly all of the interior plateau; and the Columbia in the southeastern and south-central regions. Lesser rivers, such as the Skeena, Nass, Iskut, and Stikine, drain the northwestern region into the Pacific, while the Liard system drains the northeastern section into the Arctic Ocean.
The Fraser, the only major river that lies entirely within the province, rises in the Rockies near the Yellowhead Pass, flows north and then southwestward to Prince George, where it turns almost due south for 300 miles (480 km), flowing to Hope, and then westward through the lush farmlands to the sea south of Vancouver. The Columbia follows the Rocky Mountain Trench northward, bends around the northern end of the Selkirk Mountains, and turns south to flow into the Arrow Lakes and then into the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. The Peace also becomes a formidable stream within the Rocky Mountain Trench, but it cuts eastward through the Rockies and into the plains area of Alberta.
Most of the thousands of lakes are small, but they are important for the water they store in an age when hydroelectric power has become a prized resource. The larger lakes are made long and narrow by the north-south mountain ranges that confine them in the deep and narrow valleys in all parts of the province. Atlin and Teslin in the northwest extend into Yukon. Babine, Stuart, Shuswap, Quesnel, and François, which range from 90 to 200 square miles (230 to 520 square km) in area, are important salmon-spawning lakes. The Arrow and Kootenay lakes are important as storage reservoirs for hydroelectric plants.
Are you a student? Get Britannica Premium for only 24.95 - a 67% discount!
About two-thirds of the land area is forested, while only a small portion has soil suitable for agriculture. The most valuable soils of British Columbia are the alluvial soils that developed on sand and silt deposited by streams and rivers. These extremely fertile soils, located mainly in the lower Fraser valley, are of limited extent. Distinctive ...
The U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana are in the southern part of the Pacific Northwest. The Canadian province of British Columbia and the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alaska is in the northern part. The entire region is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west. Historically, the Pacific Northwest had been ...
May 21, 2019 · The Pacific Northwest, sometimes referred to as Cascadia, is a region in western North America and bound to the east by Cascade Mountain Range and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Although there is no official boundary defining the geographical region, the area includes the Candian province of British Columbia and the US states of Washington ...
