British Columbia, which became the sixth Canadian province in 1871, enjoys a primarily temperate climate due to its western location on the Pacific Coast of North America. It is bordered by the United States on the north and south, with Alaska in the north, and the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana on the southern border. The Northwest Territories and the province of Alberta border the east with the Yukon to the north.

The Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without Diminishment") reflects the splendor of the natural beauty in this province, which varies greatly by topography and climate in the three main regions of the province. Generally considered temperate, the Interior, Coastal and Lower Mainland regions roughly define British Columbia, which has seven National Parks including Glacier National Park; Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site; Gulf Islands National Park Reserve; Kootenay National Park; Mount Revelstoke National Park; Pacific Rim National Park Reserve; and Yoho National Park. There are also a large number of provincial parks as well as many thousands of acres of arable land protected by the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Due to the varied mountainous terrain, as well as its coastal geography, British Columbia is able to offer recreation for lake sports, hikers, campers, rock climbing, hunting and fishing. Whistler, known for its winter sports was chosen for the downhill events in the 2010 Winter Olympics. While visiting the Interior, on the Okanagan-Thompson Plateau located in the southern part of the region, be certain to visit a few of the numerous museums and/or heritage sites that explore the Aboriginal people, and the early largely European settlers from this area. Well known for their golf courses and vineyards, amongst everything else, this vastly varied interior plateau also boasts a waterfall twice the height of Niagara Falls. In contrast to this is the Coastal region that is home to Vancouver Island, which also includes the Lower Mainland with the metropolitan City of Vancouver, and Victoria, the beautiful capital of the province, known for its extremely mild winters and beautiful summers.