Where is Vancouver? The city of Vancouver is located in which country? Open left menu Vancouver Vancouver where is the country located
The population of the city itself is 600,000 people. (as of June 2006), but more than 2 million people live in Greater Vancouver, including more than 20 suburbs. Greater Vancouver is also often referred to as the Lower Mainland, referring to its location on the coast (as opposed to Vancouver Island, where the provincial capital of Victoria is located). Along with other neighboring municipalities, Vancouver sits on the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) board.
Story
The bountiful ecological system of what is now Vancouver, rich in flora and fauna, provided food and materials for people for more than 10,000 years. The first known settlement at the mouth of the Fraser River was founded about 3,000 years ago under the name Musqueam, meaning "grass people." During the first contacts of Europeans with the aborigines, there were already several villages of the Musquim and Squamish tribes here. There is also information about the Tsleil'wauthuth tribe, predecessors of the modern Burrard group in North Vancouver. Common cultural traditions united the Aboriginal people who settled along the ocean coast, in the Fraser River Valley and in the northern territories of what is now Washington State. The common language was Halkomelem, but the Squamish Indians spoke their own language. The tribes were at a fairly high level of social development. The social status of each member of the tribe depended on personal donations to the community, which strengthened the community as a whole (the prototype of the modern tax system). Such ceremonies for the transfer of personal property for public use - potlatches - formed an important part of the social and spiritual life of the tribe. It is interesting that from the end of the 19th century, potlatches began to be prohibited by the state administration and were abolished..
The Canadian Pacific coast was explored by James Cook in 1778, who explored the northwest coast from Vancouver Island to Alaska.
The city's history begins in the winter of 1824, when the Hudson Bay Company established several Pacific outposts for the fur trade. A group of 40 men, led by James McMillan, chose a site in the Fraser River valley - present-day Langley - where a fort began to be built within a few months. It was July 27, 1827, which can roughly be considered the founding date of the city. Fort Langley was involved in the fur trade (2,000 beaver pelts were sold in 1832), and by the 1840s it became the largest exporter of fish (salt sturgeon) on the Pacific coast, with its main market in Hawaii. Governor Douglas leaves Fort Langley after the proclamation of the Colony of British Columbia. Everything changed dramatically with the discovery of gold deposits on the Fraser River. On November 19, 1858, Vancouver Island Governor James Douglas declared the Fraser River Valley a British colony at Fort Langley. About 25,000 American prospectors immediately rushed here. To avoid American expansion, England sends a small group of engineers to the newly created colony to demonstrate the English flag and build roads. The first 25 sappers (engineers' nickname from the word sap - trench digging) arrived from England on November 25, 1858 under the command of Richard Moody. Their settlement was called Sapperton - present-day New Westminster. The name New Westminster was proposed by Queen Victoria and soon this settlement, protected from the American side by the Fraser River, became the capital of the two united colonies of the British crown (Vancouver Island and the Fraser River Valley). However, in 1868, the city of Victoria regained its title as capital. In 1859, Moody built a road between New Westminster and the ice-free Burrard Inlet (today the border between Burnaby and Coquitlam). Holy Trinity Church in New Westminster. 1860 People began to settle in the areas now known as Burnaby and Delta. On the Pitt River there is a dairy farm with 50 cows. Between New Westminster and Falce Creek, the False Creek Trail was built along the Aboriginal trail path - almost corresponding to the modern Kingsway. Surprisingly, there was not a single sawmill nearby, and the first church - St. John the Divine Anglican - dedicated in May 1859, was built from mahogany imported from California.
In 1871, Canada promised British Columbia that its accession to Confederation would bring it the Trans-Canada Railway. This is how British Columbia became a province of Canada. Perhaps she would not have been in a hurry to join if she knew that the railway would only be built in 15 years. Initially, the village of Port Moody, located in the easternmost part of the bay, was declared a terminal of the Canadian Pacific Railway. A curious fact, but the first steam locomotive was delivered here by water. The village's happiness was short-lived: the bay in this area turned out to be too shallow for ocean-going steamers and the railroad's general director, William Van Horne, decided to move the terminal to the Grenville area. There was another hidden reason for moving the terminal to the area adjacent to English Bay and Coal Harbor: Canadian ownership of the road nominally ended at Port Moody.
In 1955, Vancouver's map changed again with the creation of Langley, and two years later White Rock split from Surry to become a haven for wealthy retirees. Simon Fraser University. The 60s are marked by the appearance of the second bridge over the Burrard Inlet (Second Narrows Bridge), the formation of the mountain resort of Whistler, the construction of the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse, the establishment of the Vancouver Sea Festival, the opening of the Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Simon Fraser University in Burnaby.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Vancouver, like any other large city, faced the problems of urbanization: ethnic tension, crime, pollution, increasing traffic, drugs, unemployment, rising taxes, etc. But at the same time, Vancouver residents enjoy a wonderful, unique, always moderate climate, an enviable geographical position, the benefits of the different human cultures represented in so many ways in our society, a literacy rate higher than anywhere else in Canada and, finally, the triumph of the era of electronic information.
Physiographic characteristics
Greater Vancouver, as the city with its virtually unlimited municipalities is also called, is located at the mouth of the Fraser River on both banks of the long Burrard Inlet. Many majestic modern bridges connect different parts of the city across the bay and river with its branches. The business part of the city is connected to the northern districts by the famous Lion Gate Bridge (length 516 m). And although there are 2 lion sculptures at the entrance to the bridge, the bridge is named after the two striking and unique peaks of Lion Mountain, reminiscent of the heads of sea lions and dominating the northern part of Vancouver and the entire valley. On all sides, Vancouver is surrounded by mountain peaks covered with tall coniferous forests: the Coast Range to the north and east, the high (3285 m) Mount Baker to the south beyond the American border, and the Vancouver Island mountain range towering above the azure of the strait in good weather. Many peaks are covered with snow-white snow caps all year round, elegantly contrasting with the dazzling blue of the sky.
The most famous city park, Stanley, was founded on a peninsula jutting into the bay back in 1886 (the first year of the city’s existence), when dense primeval forests rose all around. Now Stanley Park and its seaside embankment are a favorite vacation spot for citizens and tourists. There is a large oceanarium with trained dolphins, pools with collections of fish and amphibians, a zoo, and a collection of bright Indian totems placed in the open air. Another park, Queen Elizabeth Park, is famous for its botanical garden.
Ecosystem
The flora in the Vancouver area originally consisted of temperate forests consisting of conifers and scattered areas of maple and alder, as well as large wetlands. Conifers were especially common in coastal areas of British Columbia and were a mixture of Hemlock, Arborvita, and Hemlock. The area where the largest of these tree species grow is considered to be the coast of British Columbia. Only in the Elliott Bay area of Seattle do the size of these trees rival those found in the Burrard Inlet and English British Columbia areas.
Many of the plants and trees found throughout Vancouver were imported from different parts of the continent and even from East Asia across the Pacific Ocean. The city is home to various types of palm trees and a large number of other exotic plants, such as Araucaria chilean, Japanese maple, Magnolia, Azalea and Rhododendron. Some Rhododendrons grow to enormous sizes, as do other species brought from areas with harsher climates. Along many of the streets are various varieties of Sakura, donated to the city by the Japanese government and dating back to the 1930s.
Climate
Vancouver's climate is temperate and warm. There is a lot of precipitation, except in the summer months. Winter is mild and rainy. The summer months are usually quite dry and warm, with moderate drought in July-August. The rest of the year, on the contrary, is rich in precipitation, especially the period from October to March.
The average annual precipitation, according to Vancouver-Richmond Airport, is 1199 mm, although in fact the level of precipitation varies significantly by area due to the terrain: in the business sector it is much higher. In winter, most days (again, according to Vancouver Airport) will be marked by significant precipitation. The summer months are drier and sunnier, with moderate temperatures thanks to the warm sea breeze. In July and August, the maximum daily temperature averages 22 °C, sometimes reaching 30 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded is 34.4 °C on July 30, 2009. Snow falls on an average of eleven days a year, three of which are more than 60 mm. Winters in Greater Vancouver are the fourth mildest in all of Canada, after nearby Victoria, Nanaimo and Duncan (all of which are located on Vancouver Island). The low temperature in Vancouver falls below 0°C on average 46 days a year, and below -10°C on two days a year. On average, 4.5 days a year the temperature remains below zero Celsius during the day.
Population
Vancouver's smaller indigenous population is predominantly English-Canadian. At the same time, a mild, warm climate, an unusually pleasant combination of highland and coastal landscapes, transportation, and comfortable living conditions are attracting an increasing flow of immigrants here, primarily from Southeast Asia. There are significant Chinatowns in the city. And the new fashionable residential area that has arisen in the north, already in the mountains, is built mostly in Japanese and Chinese style, since many wealthy immigrants from Hong Kong settled here. 
Economy
Vancouver is one of the largest industrial centers in the country. The city's port is Canada's largest and most diversified, with a trade turnover of more than 75 billion Canadian dollars per year. Port activities add US$10.5 billion to GDP and US$22 billion in economic output. Vancouver is also home to the headquarters of logging and mining companies. In recent years, the city has become an increasingly important center for software development, biotechnology, and a vibrant film industry. Vancouver's picturesque location makes it a prime tourism destination. Tourists visit the city's gardens, Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, VanDusen and the mountains, ocean, forests and parks surrounding the city. Each year, more than a million people pass through Vancouver on cruise ships, often heading to Alaska.
Transport
Vancouver has an extensive ground transportation system, which includes buses, trolleybuses, the West Coast Express commuter rail line, SkyTrain and SeaBus. However, Vancouver still lags behind other Canadian cities in terms of public transport development. Most urban and suburban ground transport is operated by a state-owned company)