Large detailed map of British Columbia with cities and towns

Description:
This map shows cities, towns, rivers, lakes, islands, Trans-Canada highway, major highways, secondary roads, railways, and national parks in British Columbia.

Cities of British Columbia

British Columbia (BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. The province has 52 cities with a total population of over 5.6 million people as of 2025. Vancouver is the largest city with approximately 2.7 million residents in its metropolitan area, making it the third-largest urban center in Canada. Despite being the economic and cultural hub of the province, Vancouver is not the capital - this distinction belongs to Victoria, located on Vancouver Island.

The majority of BC's population (approximately 77%) is concentrated in four major metropolitan areas: Greater Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, and Abbotsford-Mission. Greater Vancouver alone accounts for about half of the province's total population.

The ten largest municipalities by population include Vancouver (631,486), Surrey (517,887), Burnaby (232,755), Richmond (198,309), Abbotsford (141,397), Coquitlam (139,284), Kelowna (127,380), Delta (102,238), Nanaimo (90,504), and Kamloops (90,280) according to 2016 census data. The smallest city is Greenwood with only 727 residents, while Abbotsford is the largest by area at 375.55 square kilometers.

British Columbia's economy has traditionally been resource-based, with forestry playing a dominant role. However, Vancouver has developed into a major film production center, earning it the nickname "Hollywood North" as the third-largest film production location in North America. The province joined the Canadian confederation as the sixth province on July 20, 1871.