British Columbia is a western providence of Canada along the Pacific Coast in North America. It is also claims the most diverse landscape in Canada as well as having the warmest weather. It officially became part of the Canadian confederation in 1871, however, the aboriginal people have been occupying the area since about 10,000 B.C.. http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/AboutBC/BritishColumbia.htm It also boasts a culturally diverse population which was partly from the gold rush in 1860's which brought people from all over the world.http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/AboutBC/CultureHistory/BritishColumbia.htm

The diverse region allows for the seemingly endless activities that are available, especially for those seeking adventure. More than half of the B.C. providence has been left untouched, most which is in the northern area. It is also home to Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, which also happens to be Canada's first Grizzly Bear reserve. http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/RegionalGeography/NorthernBritishColumbia.htm They have been able to maintain a balance between the local wildlife and the needs of then people. The government has placed many programs and laws to protect the land. This includes regulating logging, fishing, and even tourism.http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/

They have embraced both the past as well as it's future. Aboriginal language programs are now in place to help keep them from becoming extinct. Many of these First Nations have formed cultural centers open to the public with interactive exibits.http://www.fpcf.ca/index.html British Columbia has also been in the front of modernizing with it being known to have the most livable cities with the friendliest people. Vancouver has especially stood out with having over 200 parks and winning awards for ingenuity and leadership.http://vancouver.ca/aboutvan.htm

Top Attractions

• Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler- This cultural center combines the history of the two Nations of Squamish and Lil'wat. Around the center lies untouched an forest where toured walks are available. Traditional longhouses and Pit houses are also displayed outside. The museum has many exhibits showcasing the the history of the two Nations which also includes a cafe with traditional native food. http://www.slcc.ca/explore/explore-the-centre

• Museum of Anthropology- Located in University of British Columbia, this museum has an impressive display of aboriginal artifacts from Canada and the rest of the world. They showcase all of their global collections, all 36,000 ethnographic objects and 535,000 archaeological objects. http://www.moa.ubc.ca/

• Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort- This resort is located in near Purcell Mountains and Kootenay Lake which provides a scenery of both the lake and mountain range. They have odorless hot spring pools and a 150 foot mineral water cave that has an average regulator temperature of 114 F. http://www.hotnaturally.com/

• Guest and Dude Ranches- These ranches allow guest to either see first hand how it is to work in a real working cattle ranch or relax in their luxury accommodations or cottages. There are many of these ranches, one of which is award winning Big Bar Guest Ranch, they provide gold panning, canoeing, hiking, fishing, chasing cattle with a cowboy, or venture into the backcountry on a multi-day pack trip. You can even chose to sleep in a teepee. http://www.bigbarranch.com/

• BC Wildlife Watching- Wildlife is abundant all over British Columbia and has wildlife watching year round. Whale watching is available twice a year. Birds, bears, moose, and wolves are other popular animals to see, from a safe distance. http://www.vancouverisland.com/Wildlife/

• BC Adventure Tours- These tours are all hands on but can vary from ATV rides, riding white water rapids, sleigh rides, mountain climbing, jet boats, and luxury SUV rides through the wilderness. There are many of these tours available all over British Columbia year round. http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/SearchResultsListings/BritishColumbia.htm?CATID=281&LOCID=3&KWDS=&NBY=False&FLID=3&PN=1&Lev1=10M