Vancouver and Whistler Quick Facts
VANCOUVER AND WHISTLER QUICK FACTS May 2007 The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) has compiled this information from a variety of Internet sources. GEOGRAPHY Canada, the second largest country in the world, consists of 10 provinces and three territories in five main regions: the Atlantic region, Central Canada, the Prairies, the West Coast and the North. Vancouver and Whistler are situated on the West Coast, in the province of British Columbia. The city of Vancouver, next to the Pacific Ocean, is surrounded by water on three sides and is framed by the Coast Mountains. Whistler, a mountain resort located approximately 126 kilometres (78 miles) from Vancouver, comprises 8,171 acres of skiable terrain and 551 acres of parkland. The base elevation of the town of Whistler is 668 metres (2192 feet). The peak elevations of the two mountains, the Blackcomb and the Whistler, are 2,284 metres (7,494 feet) and 2,182 metres (7,160 feet), respectively. POLITICAL STRUCTURE Canada is both a constitutional monarchy and a federal state with a democratic system of government. Powers are divided between the federal government and the provinces and territories. The Canadian government is led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, of the Conservative Party of Canada. Queen Elizabeth II, formally the Head of State, delegates her duties to the Governor-General, Michaëlle Jean. The capital of Canada is Ottawa, located in the province of Ontario, in the Central region. POPULATION About 32.8 million people live in Canada. Approximately 560,000 call the city of Vancouver home, while the population of Greater Vancouver consists of more than two million people.
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