Burrard Peninsula

Saanich Peninsula
Satellite photo of the Vancouver region with the Burrard Peninsula in the center
Geographical location
Coordinates	49 ° 15 ′  N , 123 ° 1 ′  W Coordinates: 49 ° 15 ′  N , 123 ° 1 ′  W
Waters 1	Burrard Inlet
Waters 2	Fraser River
length	40 km
width	8 kilometers
Burrard Peninsula (orange) in Greater Vancouver

The Burrard Peninsula ( English Burrard Peninsula , pronunciation [ buˈɹɑːɹd ]) is a peninsula in the extreme southwest of the Lower Mainland , in the Canadian province of British Columbia . The peninsula is now largely covered by the metropolitan area of Vancouver and Burnaby .

At the time of the European discovery, the peninsula was still densely forested. From the middle of the 19th century, the peninsula changed into an urban landscape that is now almost completely built over. The largest remaining green spaces are Pacific Spirit Regional Park near Point Gray and Stanley Park in Downtown Vancouver, as well as several large parks in Burnaby.

The original First Nations name for the peninsula was Ulksen or Ulxen.

location

The peninsula protrudes west into the Strait of Georgia and lies between the Fjord Burrard Inlet in the north and the mouth of the Fraser River in the south. To the south, the Fraser River separates both the mainland at its central reaches and the Lulu Island and Sea Island from the peninsula at its confluence . The isthmus is in the plain between the eastern end of Burrard Inlet and the Coquitlam River , a tributary of the Fraser River.

The following cities and settlements are located on the Burrard Peninsula from west to east:

• the University Endowment Lands
• Vancouver
• Burnaby
• New Westminster
• Port Moody
• Coquitlam
• Port Coquitlam

Only the southern boroughs of Port Moody are on the peninsula. Opinions differ as to whether Port Coquitlam belongs to the peninsula. However, the city would certainly be at the easternmost point of the peninsula. The western tip of the peninsula is known as Point Gray, there is the University of British Columbia , which is a separate settlement area.

geology

The peninsula is basically of a slightly wavy surface and criss-crossed with numerous small lakes. The coastline is characterized by rocky and rugged banks. There are several larger cuts or bays along the peninsula. The highest point on the peninsula is Burnaby Mountain , at 370  m . To the south of the peninsula there are two other mountains: Mount Work ( 449  m ) and Jocelyn Hill ( 434  m ).

Flora and fauna

Within the British Columbia ecosystem, the peninsula is primarily assigned to the Coastal Douglas Fir Zone . The same biogeoclimatic zones are characterized by the same climate and the same or similar biological and geological conditions. This results in a similar population of plants and animals in the respective zones.

Due to the generally closed settlement and the intensive forestry use in the early European settlement phases, larger trees and plants only grow to a significant extent in the protected areas.

climate

Due to the usually prevailing wind directions and the Kuroshio current, the weather on the peninsula is mild but very rainy. Temperatures in winter are just below freezing on around 46 days, but below −10 ° C on only two days. In summer the temperature is rarely above 22 ° C. There are an average of 166 rainy days per year and the wettest months are November and December.

Vancouver
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     154   6th 1     123   8th 2     114   10 3     84   13 5     68   17th 8th     55   19th 11     40   22nd 13     39   22nd 13     54   19th 11     113   14th 7th     179   9 3     161   6th 1 Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000: Vancouver International Airport

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Vancouver Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 6.1 8.0 10.1 13.1 16.5 19.2 21.7 21.9 18.7 13.5 9.0 6.2 O 13.7 Min. Temperature (° C) 0.5 1.5 3.1 5.3 8.4 11.2 13.2 13.4 10.5 6.6 3.1 0.8 O 6.5 Temperature (° C) 3.3 4.8 6.6 9.2 12.5 15.2 17.5 17.6 14.6 10.1 6.0 3.5 O 10.1 Precipitation ( mm ) 153.6 123.1 114.3 84.0 67.9 54.8 39.6 39.1 53.5 112.5 178.5 160.6 Σ 1,181.5 Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 1.9 3.0 4.3 6.1 7.4 7.4 9.5 8.6 6.6 4.0 2.1 1.8 O 5.2 Rainy days ( d ) 18.5 16.3 17.0 13.9 13.0 11.2 6.9 6.8 8.6 14.3 19.7 19.8 Σ 166 Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000: Vancouver International Airport

history

The earliest inhabitants were various First Nations groups , mainly belonging to the Coast Salish . Originally the Squamish and Musqueam and other groups settled here . The first Europeans, mostly fur traders , reached the area around 1800. Simon Fraser passed the area in 1808. Increased European settlement, triggered by the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush (1858–1860) and the Cariboo Gold Rush (1861–1862), began however, only from the 1860s. The natural harbors on Burrard Inlet and the construction of the transcontinental railway line also ensured further settlement.

population

Approximately 1,800,000 people live on the Burrard Peninsula. An exact determination of the population is not possible because there is no exact limit to the west.

traffic

The peninsula is crossed by several major traffic routes. Highway 99 crosses the peninsula in a north-south direction, while Highway 7 passes the area in an east-west direction. Highway 7 is partly congruent with Highway 1 , as a section of the Trans-Canada Highway . In addition, there are other small highways, such as Highway 7A , as connecting highways .

There are several small helicopter or sea airports on the peninsula and the surrounding waters. However, the most important regional airport, Vancouver International Airport , is located on the neighboring Sea Island.

Since the transport company TransLink has been responsible for almost all public transport issues in Metro Vancouver and thus on the Burrard Peninsula since 1998 , it organizes passenger transport with buses and the SkyTrain . In addition, suburban trains run on the peninsula. Long distance rail travel is primarily provided by VIA Rail from Pacific Central station . Various train connections, which are offered by other companies, also run from the Waterfront station .

Since there are various terminals of Port Metro Vancouver on the peninsula, both on Burrard Inlet and on the Fraser River, the two Canadian railway companies, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway , the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway operate freight rail services on the peninsula. For this purpose, various marshalling yards of different sizes are located on the peninsula. The large marshalling yards are a little further inland.

Web links

• Burrard Peninsula on britishcolumbia.com (Engl.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mount Newton in the Internet version of the English-language Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia
2. ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF, 10.31 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , February 1991, accessed on July 16, 2013 . 
3. ^ Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions, census subdivisions ... Census 2011. In: Statistics Canada . January 30, 2013, accessed September 22, 2013 .