Vancouver is located in the southwest corner of Canada in the province of British Columbia, at about 49° Latitude and 123° Longitude, next to the Pacific Ocean.

Vancouver is surrounded by water on three sides and overlooked by the Coast Range - mountains that rise abruptly to more than 1,500 m. Its climate is one of the mildest in Canada. Temperatures average 3°C in January and 18°C in July. Vancouver's average annual precipitation is 1,219 mm. Most rainfall occurs in winter.

Archaeological evidence shows that coastal Indians had settled the Vancouver area by 500 B.C. British naval captain George Vancouver explored the area in 1792. Vancouver was founded as a sawmill settlement called Granville in the 1870s. The city was incorporated in 1886 and renamed after Captain Vancouver.

With a present population of about 560,000 (estimated), Vancouver lies in a region of more than 2 million people. Vancouver is the largest city in the province and the third largest in Canada. It covers an area of 113 sq km.

As the main western terminus of Canada's transcontinental highway and rail routes, Vancouver is the primary city of western Canada, as well as one of the nation's largest industrial centers.

The Port of Vancouver outside link is Canada's largest and most diversified port, trading more than $43 billion in goods with more than 90 trading economies annually. Port activities generate 69,200 jobs in total with $4 billion in gross domestic product and $8.9 billion in economic output.

Vancouver's Central Area has 60% of the region's office space and is home to headquarters of forest products and mining companies as well as branches of national and international banks, accounting and law firms. In recent years, Vancouver has expanded as a centre for software development and biotechnology, while film studios and the streets provide a backdrop for the developing film industry. Two of the Port of Vancouver's container docks are located in the city. The Fraser River has barge and log traffic serving forestry and other water related industries. Around 1,800 acres of industrial land provide an important range of support services, manufacturing and wholesale premises for businesses throughout the city and region.

Vancouver is a major tourist destination. In addition to the city's scenic location, visitors enjoy beautiful gardens and world-famous Stanley Park, one of more than 180 city parks.

Vancouver is Host City of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Olympic Winter Games take place February 12 to 28, 2010 and the Paralympic Winter Games take place March 12 to 21, 2010.

Source: www.vancouver.ca

CITYSMART - VANCOUVER IN THE PALM OF YOUR HANDS

Let the latest technology be your Vancouver tour guide!

Tourism Vancouver in partnership with SatSports Ltd. and HTC proudly announce one of the world's first complete interactive tourist mobile application in the form of a free download to the public. By providing live and updated information about the city and our members, along with streaming information and navigation for locals and tourists alike, Tourism Vancouver has launched a revolutionary application that will change how information will be communicated to convention delegates.

With CitySmart, Tourism Vancouver will be able to update users via SMS messages, notifying them of promotions, event time changes, weather reports and news flashes. Supported handhelds include phones that run Android and Window's Mobile. Blackberry and iPhone operating systems will be available soon.

CitySmart features include:

• Mapping and navigation to all points of local interest, restaurants, shopping, stations, and Tourism Vancouver member businesses.
• Listings of businesses, including address, location, contact information, and photo.

To have Vancouver in the palm of your hands click here!