Stanley Park Tree |
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Straight of Georgia at sunset |
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Vancouver Skyline & Mountains |
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The original vegetation of most of Vancouver and its suburbs was dense temperate
rain forest, consisting of conifers with scattered pockets of maple and alder, as well as large
areas of swampland (even in upland areas, due to poor drainage).
The conifers were a typical coastal British Columbia mix of Sitka spruce, Western red cedar,
Western hemlock, Douglas fir, and yew, and are thought to have been the greatest concentration of
the largest of these trees on the entire British Columbia Coast. Only in Seattle's Elliott Bay did
the trees rival those of Burrard Inlet and English Bay in size. The largest trees in Vancouver's
old-growth forest were in the Gastown area, where the first logging occurred, and on the south
slopes of False Creek and English Bay, especially around Jericho Beach. The forest in Stanley Park
is mostly second and third growth, and evidence of old-fashioned logging techniques such as
springboard notches can still be seen there.
A diverse collection of plants and trees were imported from other parts of the continent and from
points across the Pacific, and can be found growing throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
Various species of palm trees have proven hardy in this climate and are a common sight, as are
large numbers of other exotic trees such as the monkey puzzle tree, the Japanese Maple, and
various flowering exotics such as magnolias, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Many rhododendrons have
grown to immense sizes, as have other species imported from harsher climates in Eastern Canada or
Europe. The native Douglas Maple can also attain a tremendous size. Many streets in the city are
lined with flowering varieties of Japanese cherry trees that were donated by Japan, starting in
the 1930s. Certain areas of West Vancouver that have the right soil requirements are home to the
Arbutus menziesii tree.
Vancouver has an area of 114 square kilometres (44 sq mi), including both flat and hilly ground.
Vancouver is adjacent to the Strait of Georgia, a body of water that is shielded from the Pacific
Ocean by Vancouver Island. It is in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8) and the Pacific Maritime
Ecozone. The city itself forms part of the Burrard Peninsula, lying between Burrard Inlet to the
north and the Fraser River to the south. Vancouver is not on nearby Vancouver Island. However,
both the island and the city (as well as Vancouver, Washington) are named after Royal Navy Captain
George Vancouver.
Vancouver is renowned for its scenery and has one of the largest urban parks in North America,
Stanley Park. 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 the Sunshine Coast to the
northwest.
Vancouver's climate is unusually temperate by Canadian standards; its winters are the fourth
warmest of Canadian cities monitored by Environment Canada after nearby Victoria, Nanaimo, and
Duncan, all of which are on Vancouver Island.[46] Vancouver has daily minimum temperatures falling
below 0 °C (32 °F) on an average of 46 days per year and below -10 °C (14 °F) on only two days
per year. The average annual precipitation is about 1,219 millimetres (48 in), though this varies
dramatically throughout the city due to the topography. Summer months are quite sunny with
moderate temperatures. The daily maximum averages 22 °C (72 °F) in July and August, although
temperatures sometimes rise above 26 °C (78 °F). The summer months are often very dry, resulting
in moderate drought conditions a few months of the year. In contrast, more than half of all winter
days receive measurable precipitation. On average, snow falls on only eleven days per year, with
only three days receiving six or more centimetres (2.5 in or more).
The air quality in the city has been deteriorating for several decades because of the increasing
number of cars in the area.[48] Smog can be seen year round. The number of cars is growing at
almost twice the rate of the human population, resulting in increased congestion and pollution.
Some actions have been taken by various levels of government to limit the problem, such as
reducing automobile emissions by vehicle emissions testing. Air quality in the Fraser Valley often
suffers as Vancouver's pollution is blown in that direction and "boxed in" by the
mountains.
Source: Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License |
