The Economy

The economy is based on the province's great natural resources, primarily its vast forests, which cover 56 percent of its total area. Conifers from these forests are converted into lumber, newsprint, pulp and paper products, shingles and shakes - about half the total softwood inventory of Canada.

Tourism is the next most important economic sector. Each year, about 22 million people visit British Columbia. With over five million hectares of parkland, the Rocky Mountains remain the province's most popular attraction. Coastal British Columbia, with its beaches, hiking trails, artists' colonies, wildlife reserves, whale-sighting locales and other attractions, is not far behind. Of increasing attraction to visitors are the Queen Charlotte Islands, large parts of which have recently been set aside as parkland. The area contains untouched wilderness and unique species of flora. The abandoned Haida village of Ninstints is of such historical and cultural importance that it has been designated a world heritage site by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Mining is the province's third most important economic sector. Copper, gold and zinc are the leading metals extracted from British Columbia; sulphur and asbestos are the leading industrial minerals. The most valuable resources, however, are coal, petroleum and natural gas.

Agriculture and fishing, especially salmon fishing, are two other key sectors of the economy of British Columbia, whose dairy cattle are among Canada's most productive. The valleys of the southern interior, principally the Okanagan Valley, are famous for the cultivation of tree fruits and grapes and for their wine industry. The cooler, wetter climate of the lower Fraser Valley produces rich crops of berries and vegetables.

Manufacturing in British Columbia is still largely resource-based, but is being gradually diversified by high-technology and computer-based industries related to telecommunications and the aerospace and sub-sea industries. British Columbia has the most balanced export market of all of Canada's provinces, with the United States, Japan, the European Union and the Pacific Rim countries as its clientele.