British Columbia

A province of Canada on the Pacific coast. Its capital is Victoria. The name given in 1858 derives from the Columbia River which was named by the American captain Robert Gray for his ship Columbia which in turn was named for Columbus. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p178 and Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p81-2)

Source last updated 2026-05-24T15:28:08.267Z