Vancouver

A beautiful cruise ship makes its way along the Pacific Ocean,enjoying the Vancouver skyline as its backdrop.

Vancouver (pronounced /vænˈkuːvər/) is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest city in both British Columbia and Western Canada and the second largest, after Seattle, in the Pacific Northwest.

Vancouver is bounded by the Strait of Georgia, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from (in Dutch: "van") Coevorden, an old city in The Netherlands.

The population of the city of Vancouver is 578,041 and the population of Metro Vancouver is 2,116,581 (2006 Census). Vancouver is also part of the slightly larger Lower Mainland metropolitan area which comprises a total population of 2,547,479, making it the largest metropolitan area in Western Canada and the third largest in the country. Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents and 43% of residents of Metro Vancouver having a first language other than English.

Vancouver was first settled in the 1860s as a result of immigration caused by the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, particularly from the United States, although many immigrants did not remain after the rush. The city developed rapidly from a small lumber mill town into a metropolitan centre following the arrival of the transcontinental railway in 1887. The Port of Vancouver became internationally significant after the completion of the Panama Canal, which reduced freight rates in the 1920s and made it viable to ship export-bound prairie grain west through Vancouver. It has since become the busiest seaport in Canada, and exports more cargo than any other port in North America.

From Kitkat49:)Thank you,Katie.