BACKGROUND - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 733

kets all over the world—the province is considered the most productive fishing region in
Canada. Japan is the largest export market, followed by Europe and the United States.
Film Industry
The value of the film industry in British Columbia has more than tripled since 1997 to be
worth $1 billion annually; it directly employs 25,000 locals. The province is ideal both as
a location for shooting and as a production center (Vancouver ranks third behind only Los
Angeles and New York as a production center, with 70 post-production facilities). Since the
late 1970s, more and more Hollywood production companies have discovered the beauty
of Vancouver, its studio facilities, on-site production crews, and support services, as well as
more recently a favorable exchange rate. The industry is overseen by the BC Film Com-
mission (604/660-2732, www.bcfilmcommission.com ) .
Shipping and Maritime Commerce
The province boasts year-round ports, deep-sea international shipping lanes, log-towing
vessels, specialized freight and passenger steamers, and all the requisite marine facilities.
The United States and Japan are British Columbia's main export and import trading part-
ners.
People and Culture
When British Columbia joined the confederation to become a Canadian province in 1871,
its population was only 36,000, and 27,000 of the residents were First Nations. With the
completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, immigration during the early 20th
century, and rapid industrial development after World War II, the provincial population bur-
geoned. Between 1951 and 1971 alone, it doubled. Today 4.5 million people live in British
Columbia (12 percent of Canada's total). The population is concentrated in the southwest,
namely in Vancouver, on the south end of Vancouver Island, and in the Okanagan Valley.
These three areas make up less than 1 percent of the province but account for 80 percent of
the population. The overall population density is just 3.9 people per square kilometer.
British Columbia's annual population growth has been averaging 4 percent over the last
decade. Around 70 percent of this population growth can be attributed to westward migra-
tion across the country. Retirees make up a large percentage of these new arrivals, as, to a
lesser extent, do young professionals.