Vancouver Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Geography== {{Further|List of bodies of water in Vancouver|Lower Mainland Ecoregion}} [[File:Vancouver by Sentinel-2.jpg|left|thumb|Satellite image of Metro Vancouver (2018)|alt=]] Located on the [[Burrard Peninsula]], Vancouver lies between [[Burrard Inlet]] to the north and the [[Fraser River]] to the south. The [[Strait of Georgia]], to the west, is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by [[Vancouver Island]]. The city has an area of {{cvt|115.18|km2}}, including both flat and hilly ground and is in the [[Pacific Time Zone]] (UTC−8) and the [[Pacific Maritime Ecozone (CEC)|Pacific Maritime Ecozone]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pacific Maritime Ecozone |publisher=Environment Canada |url=http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/Framework/Nardesc/pacmar_e.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040621163804/http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/Framework/Nardesc/pacmar_e.cfm |archive-date=June 21, 2004 |date=April 11, 2005 |access-date=December 1, 2009}}</ref> Until the city's naming in 1885, "Vancouver" referred to Vancouver Island, and it remains a common misconception that the city is located on the island.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://1canada.ca/?p=1159 |title=Vancouver Is Not On Vancouver Island |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105042253/http://1canada.ca/?p=1159 |archive-date=November 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbvancouverisland-bc.com/victoria-island-is-vancouver-island.html |title=Vancouver Island – "Victoria Island" and other Misconceptions |access-date=June 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905043543/http://www.bbvancouverisland-bc.com/victoria-island-is-vancouver-island.html |archive-date=September 5, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The island and the city are both named after Royal Navy Captain [[George Vancouver]] (as is the city of [[Vancouver, Washington]], in the United States). Vancouver has one of the largest urban parks in North America, [[Stanley Park]], which covers {{cvt|404.9|ha|acre}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=World66 – Vancouver Travel Guide |url=http://www.world66.com/northamerica/canada/britishcolumbia/vancouver |work=World 66 |access-date=October 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060513001153/http://www.world66.com/northamerica/canada/britishcolumbia/vancouver |archive-date=May 13, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[North Shore Mountains]] dominate the cityscape, and on a clear day, scenic vistas include the snow-capped volcano [[Mount Baker]] in the state of Washington to the southeast, Vancouver Island across the Strait of Georgia to the west and southwest, and [[Bowen Island]] to the northwest.<ref name="aboutvancouver">{{cite web |title=About Vancouver |publisher=City of Vancouver |url=http://vancouver.ca/aboutvan.htm |date=November 17, 2009 |access-date=December 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201103409/http://vancouver.ca/aboutvan.htm |archive-date=December 1, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> ===Ecology=== The vegetation in the Vancouver area was originally [[temperate rainforest]], consisting of [[conifer]]s with scattered pockets of maple and alder and large areas of swampland (even in upland areas, due to poor drainage).<ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Stanley Park History |url=http://vancouver.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/history.htm |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810102612/http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/history.htm |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2009 |publisher=City of Vancouver}}</ref> The conifers were a typical coastal British Columbia mix of [[Douglas fir]], [[Thuja plicata|western red cedar]] and [[Tsuga heterophylla|western hemlock]].<ref>{{cite web |title="Lower Mainland Ecoregion": Narrative Descriptions of Terrestrial Ecozones and Ecoregions of Canada (#196) |url=http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/Framework/Nardesc/Region.cfm?region=196 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127133028/http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/Framework/Nardesc/Region.cfm?region=196 |archive-date=January 27, 2007 |publisher=Environment Canada |access-date=December 4, 2009}}</ref> The area is thought to have had the largest trees of these species on the [[British Columbia Coast]]. Only in [[Elliott Bay]], [[Seattle]], did the size of trees rival those of Burrard Inlet and [[English Bay, Vancouver|English Bay]]. The largest trees in Vancouver's old-growth forest were in the [[Gastown]] area, where the first logging occurred and on the southern slopes of [[False Creek]] and English Bay, especially around [[Jericho Beach]]. The forest in Stanley Park was logged between the 1860s and 1880s, and evidence of old-fashioned logging techniques such as [[Logging#Springboards|springboard notches]] can still be seen there.<ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Stanley Park: Forest – Monument Trees |url=http://vancouver.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/nature.htm |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201164108/http://vancouver.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/nature.htm |archive-date=December 1, 2010 |access-date=December 1, 2009 |publisher=City of Vancouver}}</ref> Many plants and trees growing throughout Vancouver and the [[Lower Mainland]] were imported from other parts of the continent and points across the Pacific. Examples include the [[araucaria araucana|monkey puzzle tree]], the [[Acer palmatum|Japanese maple]] and various flowering exotics, such as [[magnolia]]s, [[azalea]]s and [[rhododendron]]s. Some species imported from harsher climates in Eastern Canada or Europe have grown to immense sizes. The native [[Acer glabrum|Douglas maple]] can also attain a tremendous size. Many of the city's streets are lined with flowering varieties of [[Cherry blossom|Japanese cherry]] trees donated from the 1930s onward by the government of Japan. These flower for several weeks in early spring each year, an occasion celebrated by the [[Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival]]. Other streets are lined with flowering chestnut, [[Aesculus hippocastanum|horse chestnut]] and other decorative shade trees.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.vcbf.ca/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503001521/http://www.vcbf.ca/history |archive-date=May 3, 2009 |publisher=Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival |year=2009 |access-date=November 30, 2009}}</ref> ===Climate=== {{Main|Climate of Vancouver}} {{climate chart | Vancouver | 1.4 | 6.9 | 168.4 | 1.6 | 8.2 | 104.6 | 3.4 | 10.3 | 113.9 | 5.6 | 13.2 | 88.5 | 8.8 | 16.7 | 65.0 | 11.7 | 19.6 | 53.8 | 13.7 | 22.2 | 35.6 | 13.8 | 22.2 | 36.7 | 10.8 | 18.9 | 50.9 | 7.0 | 13.5 | 120.8 | 3.5 | 9.2 | 188.9 | 0.8 | 6.3 | 161.9 |float=right |date=September 12, 2017}} Vancouver's climate, one of the mildest and most temperate climates in Canada, is classified as [[Oceanic climate|oceanic]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen:]] ''Cfb'') or a warm-summer [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen:]] ''Csb''). While the city has the coolest summer average high of all major Canadian metropolitan areas, winters in Greater Vancouver are the fourth-mildest of Canadian cities, after nearby [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], [[Nanaimo]] and [[Duncan, British Columbia|Duncan]], all on Vancouver Island.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weather Winners – Mildest Winters |url=http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/winners/categorydata_e.html?SelectedCategory=4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125151335/http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/winners/categorydata_e.html?SelectedCategory=4 |archive-date=November 25, 2011 |access-date=June 9, 2011 |publisher=Environment Canada}}</ref> Vancouver is one of the wettest Canadian cities. However, precipitation varies throughout the metropolitan area. Annual precipitation as measured at [[Vancouver International Airport]] in [[Richmond, British Columbia|Richmond]] averages {{cvt|1,189|mm}}, compared with {{cvt|1588|mm}} in the downtown area and {{cvt|2044|mm}} in North Vancouver.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=888&lang=e&dCode=0&StationName=VANCOUVER&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 |title=Station Results | Canada's National Climate Archive |work=climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca |publisher=Environment Canada |date=February 4, 2013 |access-date=February 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511224616/http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=888&lang=e&dCode=0&StationName=VANCOUVER&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 |archive-date=May 11, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=820&lang=e&dCode=0&StationName=VANCOUVER&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 |title=Station Results | Canada's National Climate Archive |work=climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca |publisher=Environment Canada |date=February 4, 2013 |access-date=February 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512003233/http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=820&lang=e&dCode=0&StationName=VANCOUVER&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 |archive-date=May 12, 2013}}</ref> The daily maximum averages {{cvt|22|°C|0}} in July and August, with highs rarely reaching {{cvt|30|°C|0}}.<ref name="ccn" /> The summer months are typically dry, with only one in five days receiving precipitation during July and August. In contrast, most days from November through March record some precipitation.<ref name="vanprecip">{{cite web |title=Station Results: Vancouver City Hall, 1971–2000 |url=http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=882&lang=e&dCode=0&StationName=VANCOUVER&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609134613/http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=882&lang=e&dCode=0&StationName=VANCOUVER&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 |archive-date=June 9, 2012 |access-date=November 21, 2011 |publisher=Environment Canada}}</ref> The highest temperature ever recorded at the airport was {{cvt|34.4|°C}} set on July 30, 2009,<ref>{{cite news |title=Temperature record broken in Lower Mainland – again |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/temperature-record-broken-in-lower-mainland-again-1.798555 |work=CBC News |date=July 30, 2009 |access-date=June 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327002624/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/temperature-record-broken-in-lower-mainland-again-1.798555 |archive-date=March 27, 2010}}</ref> and the highest temperature ever recorded within the city of Vancouver was {{cvt|35.0|°C}} occurring first on July 31, 1965,<ref>{{cite web |title=Weather Data – Vancouver Kitsilano |date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Environment Canada |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=|&dlyRange=1956-05-01|1990-11-30&mlyRange=1956-01-01|1990-12-01&StationID=893&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=7&Day=10&txtStationName=Kitsilano&timeframe=2&Year=1965txtStationName=Kitsilano&timeframe=2&Year=1965 |access-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009123726/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1956-05-01%7C1990-11-30&mlyRange=1956-01-01%7C1990-12-01&StationID=893&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=7&Day=10&txtStationName=Kitsilano&timeframe=2&Year=1965txtStationName=Kitsilano&timeframe=2&Year=1965 |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> again on August 8, 1981,<ref>{{cite web |title=Weather Data – Vancouver Dunbar South |date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Environment Canada |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=|&dlyRange=1966-03-01|1982-08-31&mlyRange=1966-01-01|1982-12-01&StationID=884&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=2&searchMethod=contains&Month=8&Day=10&txtStationName=Dunbar&timeframe=2&Year=1981 |access-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009123357/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1966-03-01%7C1982-08-31&mlyRange=1966-01-01%7C1982-12-01&StationID=884&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=2&searchMethod=contains&Month=8&Day=10&txtStationName=Dunbar&timeframe=2&Year=1981 |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> and also on May 29, 1983.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weather Data – Vancouver Wales St |date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Environment Canada |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=|&dlyRange=1982-04-01|1986-03-31&mlyRange=1982-01-01|1986-12-01&StationID=879&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=5&Day=10&txtStationName=Wales&timeframe=2&Year=1983 |access-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009130706/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1982-04-01%7C1986-03-31&mlyRange=1982-01-01%7C1986-12-01&StationID=879&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=5&Day=10&txtStationName=Wales&timeframe=2&Year=1983 |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was {{cvt|-17.8|°C}} on January 14, 1950<ref>{{cite web |title=Weather Data – VANCOUVER INT'L A |date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Environment Canada |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=1953-01-01%7C2013-06-13&dlyRange=1937-01-01%7C2013-06-12&mlyRange=1937-01-01%7C2013-06-01&StationID=889&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=37&searchMethod=contains&txtStationName=vancouver&timeframe=2&Day=20&Year=1950&Month=1 |access-date=March 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318054927/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=1953-01-01%7C2013-06-13&dlyRange=1937-01-01%7C2013-06-12&mlyRange=1937-01-01%7C2013-06-01&StationID=889&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=37&searchMethod=contains&txtStationName=vancouver&timeframe=2&Day=20&Year=1950&Month=1 |archive-date=March 18, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> and again on December 29, 1968.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weather Data – VANCOUVER INT'L A |date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Environment Canada |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=1953-01-01%7C2013-06-13&dlyRange=1937-01-01%7C2013-06-12&mlyRange=1937-01-01%7C2013-06-01&StationID=889&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=37&searchMethod=contains&txtStationName=vancouver&timeframe=2&Day=20&Year=1968&Month=12 |access-date=March 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318054154/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=1953-01-01%7C2013-06-13&dlyRange=1937-01-01%7C2013-06-12&mlyRange=1937-01-01%7C2013-06-01&StationID=889&Prov=BC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=37&searchMethod=contains&txtStationName=vancouver&timeframe=2&Day=20&Year=1968&Month=12 |archive-date=March 18, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> On average, snow falls nine days per year, with three days receiving {{cvt|5|cm}} or more. Average yearly snowfall is {{cvt|38.1|cm}} but typically does not remain on the ground for long.<ref name="ccn" /> Vancouver's [[growing season]] averages 237 days, from March 18 until November 10.<ref name="ccn">{{cite web |date=October 31, 2011 |title=Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=889&lang=e&dCode=1&StationName=VANCOUVER&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226212930/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=889&lang=e&dCode=1&StationName=VANCOUVER&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 |archive-date=February 26, 2015 |access-date=January 15, 2015 |publisher=Environment Canada}}</ref> Vancouver's 1981–2010 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone ranges from 8a to 9a depending on elevation and proximity to water.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plant Hardiness Zones 1981–2010 |publisher=Natural Resources Canada |url=http://planthardiness.gc.ca/index.pl?m=1 |access-date=January 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416235706/http://planthardiness.gc.ca/index.pl?m=1 |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Clear}} {{Vancouver weatherbox}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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