Vancouver Detail

Vancouver ( /væn.ˈkuːvər/) is a coastal city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is named for British Captain George Vancouver, who explored and first mapped the area in the 1790s.[2][3] The metropolitan area is the third-largest in the country, and most populous in Western Canada, with the city proper ranked eighth among Canadian cities.[4][5] According to the 2006 census Vancouver had a population of 578,041,[1] and 2,116,581 people[1] resided in its metropolitan area. In 2009, Vancouver and the surrounding area (including Abbotsford) was estimated to have a population of 2,501,699.[6]. The 2010 estimated population of the city proper was 642,843. [7] Over the last 30 years, immigration has dramatically increased, making the city more ethnically and linguistically diverse; 52% do not speak English as their first language.[1][8] Almost 30% of the city's inhabitants are of Chinese heritage.[9]