The second city in size is the provincial capital, Victoria. New Westminster and North Vancouver are seaports and manufacturing suburbs of Vancouver. Prince George, Kamloops, and Kelowna are major cities of the interior. Less than 3 percent of the land is suitable for farming. Most of the land under cultivation is in the warm southern valleys.
Irrigation is necessary on the majority of farms.
The mild climate of the Okanagan and Kootenay regions is excellent for the raising of tree fruits, and British Columbia is a leading apple-growing province. Other tree fruits raised are pears, peaches, plums, and cherries. On the lower Fraser River strawberries, raspberries, and loganberries are grown. Mixed farming is common on Vancouver Island and in the Fraser and Peace river valleys. Beef cattle are raised chiefly on the interior plateaus of the Chilcotin, Kamloops, and Cariboo regions.