A consideration of some geographical factors influencing the distribution of population in British Columbia

Abstract

In 1931 the population of British Columbia numbered 694,000. Considering the large area of the Province, the total is small, but that may be considered a natural consequence of the generally mountainous character of the region. Two important facts emerge from an examination of the settlement of British Columbia :- 1) that settlement in the region was retarded, being practically negligible until the second half of the Nineteenth Century, so that the size of the present population is indicative of rapid development. 2) that the distribution of population even on land apparently suitable for settlement is highly irregular; for example, the Province includes one area of dense urban and rural settlement in the Lower Mainland, but large areas of relatively level land in the centre of the Province are still sparsely settled. This thesis attempts to put forward a geographical explanation of these two points, and also to suggest future developments which may lead to a re-distribution of the population. The Economic development of the area has occurred only within the last hundred years, for even as late as 1818 so little was known of the resources of the North-West of America that the Governments of U.S.A. and Canada agreed to share equally the trade of the whole region "West of the Rockies and North of California," Within less than thirty years, however, such an arrangement proved impossible, owing to the penetration of the region by pioneers, (mainly mining prospectors) and it was necessary to delimit the area for which each Government was responsible, 49 N. lat. was chosen as the dividing line, and British interests were concentrated on the area to the North of it. At the time of the first Census in 1871, the colony contained 35,000 people, 25,000 of whom were American Indians, so that, though immigration occurred it took place slowly during the middle of the century, At the end of the next thirty years the population numbered 178,000, and the rate of increase has been still more rapid in the last three decades. The present population consists mainly of immigrants from the British isles, particularly from England, Non-British Europeans form 14% of the total, Scandinavians, French, Italians and Germans being the most numerous, but they do not form any well-marked national groups, and their presence has not caused any political problems to arise, Asiatics form 7.2% of the population, and their presence has led to racial animosity on the part of the workers, and has increased the interest which, from its position, British. Columbia would naturally feel in Pacific political questions. In an endeavour to solve the problems which are apparent, an examination has been made of the position of the province, of the topographical, geological and climatic conditions found and of the natural resources which have successively become open to exploitation. Detailed investigation of the conditions prevailing in the more densely populated areas of the Province has been made, in order to emphasize the advantages which the latter possess which enable them to support a large proportion of the population.