Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is named after Queen Victoria. Around 400,000 people live in the Victoria area. Many people work for the government or in tourism. It is warmer than other Canadian cities in the winter and so many Canadians move there when they retire.

Victoria is on Vancouver Island. Most people travel there by ferry from Vancouver or from Washington State. Victoria has three ferry docks and an airport, Victoria International Airport.

Victoria has one of the mildest climates in Canada, with gardens blooming year-round.

Some tourist attractions are the Butchart Gardens and the Royal British Columbia Museum.  SOME OF THE BEST-known buildings are the government buildings and the Empress Hotel; both are by the Inner Harbour.

The first people to live in the area were the Coast Salish native people. People from England built Fort Victoria in 1843. Victoria became a city in 1862.

There are 18,000 students who study at the University of Victoria. Other people study at Camosun College, Royal Roads University, University Canada West, Victoria College of Art, and the Canadian College of Performing Arts. Students from all over the world study at Pearson College, near Victoria.

The Canadian navy has ships in the part of the city called Esquimalt.

Some of the parks include Beacon Hill Park, East Sooke Park, Mount Work Park, and Mount Douglas Park.

There are many flowers in Victoria, which is called the "city of gardens." It is much drier than places nearby, and has little snow.

These well-known people from are Victoria:
 Jamie Benn (hockey)
 Emily Carr (art)
 Steve Nash (basketball)
 David Foster (music)
 Nelly Furtado (singer)
 Kyle Germaine Johnson (Pro Biker)

 Regions 
The Victoria area is made up of 13 parts. Four of them make up Greater Victoria:
 Victoria
 Saanich
 Esquimalt
 Oak Bay

Three of them make up the Saanich Peninsula:
 Sidney
 Central Saanich
 North Saanich

The others make up the Western Communities:
 Colwood
 Langford
 View Royal
 Metchosin
 Sooke
 Highlands