Victoria

Victoria

The capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia, Victoria is located on the south tip of Vancouver Island, off Canada's Pacific coast. The city named after Queen Victoria is one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest, settled by the British in 1843. The city has preserved many of its historic buildings, particularly its two most famous landmarks, the Parliament Buildings and the Empress Hotel. Victoria is a major tourist destination, with more than 3.5 million visitors a year. Several whale-watching tour companies operate out of this harbor, as whales are often present near the coast. Beacon Hill Park is Victoria's most important urban green space. Located on Victoria's South Shore, the 75-hectare site features a variety of playgrounds, manicured gardens, exotic plant and animal species such as wild peacocks, a petting zoo, and views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains in Washington. Victoria's extensive park system includes some natural Garry Oak Meadow habitat, an increasingly rare ecosystem that used to dominate the region. Located north of the city, on the Saanich Peninsula, are the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre for marine biology, Butchart Gardens, one of Vancouver Island's biggest tourist and resident attractions, the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, part of the National Research Council of Canada, the Victoria Butterfly Gardens and the Centre of the Universe Planetarium.