what is british columbia?
Canadian province
entailment
 Canada is geologically active , having many earthquakes and potentially active volcanoes , notably Mount Meager , Mount Garibaldi , Mount Cayley , and the Mount Edziza volcanic complex . The volcanic eruption of the Tseax Cone in 1775 was among Canada 's worst natural disasters , killing 2 @,@ 000 Nisga 'a people and destroying their village in the Nass River valley of northern British Columbia . The eruption produced a 22 @.@ 5 @-@ kilometre ( 14 @.@ 0 mi ) lava flow , and , according to Nisga 'a legend , blocked the flow of the Nass River . Canada 's population density , at 3 @.@ 3 inhabitants per square kilometre ( 8 @.@ 5 / sq mi ) , is among the lowest in the world . The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor , situated in Southern Quebec and Southern Ontario along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River . 

contradiction
 Canada 's post @-@ war economic growth , combined with the policies of successive Liberal governments , led to the emergence of a new Canadian identity , marked by the adoption of the current Maple Leaf Flag in 1965 , the implementation of official bilingualism ( English and French ) in 1969 , and the institution of official multiculturalism in 1971 . Socially democratic programs were also instituted , such as Medicare , the Canada Pension Plan , and Canada Student Loans , though provincial governments , particularly Quebec and Alberta , opposed many of these as incursions into their jurisdictions . Finally , another series of constitutional conferences resulted in the 1982 patriation of Canada 's constitution from the United Kingdom , concurrent with the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . In 1999 , Nunavut became Canada 's third territory after a series of negotiations with the federal government . 

contradiction
 Canada has had many political debates between the French speakers and English speakers , particularly in the province of Quebec . Canada holds both French and English as official languages . The politics in Quebec are largely defined by nationalism as French Québécois wish to gain independence from Canada as a whole , based on ethnic and linguistic boundaries . The main separatist party , Parti Québécois , attempted to gain sovereignty twice ( once in 1980 and again in 1995 ) and failed by a narrow margin of 1 @.@ 2 % in 1995 . Since then , in order to remain united , Canada granted Quebec statut particulier , recognizing Quebec as a nation within the united nation of Canada . Canada is often described as a cultural mosaic . 

contradiction
 Notwithstanding Canada 's location within the Americas , the term " Native American " is not used in Canada as it is typically used solely to describe the indigenous peoples within the boundaries of the present @-@ day United States . 

contradiction
 The Columbia Mountains rise from the plateaus of the Central Interior and extend eastward to the Rocky Mountain Trench . Geologically distinct from the nearby Rockies , the range is divided into four sub @-@ ranges : the Cariboos , Monashees , Selkirks , and the Purcells . Glacier encompasses a portion of the northern Selkirks and a narrow strip of the northern Purcells . The topography of the park varies between rounded mountains and ridges in the east , north , and west , and sharp , steep @-@ sided peaks in the central and southern regions . A.O. Wheeler measured many of the park 's mountains in 1901 and 1902 using a complex system of fixed points and photographs . In the early 20th century , the area was referred to as the " Canadian Alps " . Most names are from historical figures , including explorers , surveyors , mountaineers , and railway and Hudson 's Bay Company executives . 
