The West

The Shoreline of Lake Louise—Canada's “Diamond in the Wildness”—in the Early Morning

The western-most province is British Columbia—popularly known by its initials, BC—which has three major mountain ranges running through it. The largest range, the Rockies, are the world—famous mountains which divide BC from Alberta, and contain over 50 peaks higher than 3 350 metres. You have almost certainly seen pictures of a turquoise—jewel coloured lake surrounded by snowy peaks—this is Lake Louise, located in the Rockies and it is probably the most famous image of the Canadian landscape.

The mountain ranges in combination with heavy rainfall in BC create ideal conditions for generating electricity, and BC is Canada's second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Its main economic mainstay, however, is its forests. British Columbia has the most valuable forestry industry in Canada. In recent years, this industry has come under threat as environmentalists have tried to have logging stopped.

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