Southern British Columbia - Fabulous Western Canada: Capture the Excitement of the Great West! - page 74

5 A peaceful harbour on the Sunshine Coast. © Tourism Powell River

everything from perpetual snows to desert valleys to rivers teem-
ing with fi sh. A trip to southern British Columbia offers a chance to
explore towns and parks set between the sea and the sky and meet
people from a wide range of cultures.

A large part of the existing territory of the province was once called
“New Caledonia.” The name was eventually rejected in favour of
“British Columbia” however, because a French colony called New
Caledonia already existed in the South Pacifi c. “Columbia” (from
the Columbia River, which was named by American captain Robert
Gray in honour of his ship Columbia ) was then used as an unoffi cial
designation of the southern portion of the British colony. The name
“British Columbia” was decided upon by Queen Victoria and offi cially
adopted in 1858.