Symbols of British Columbia - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

British Columbia is one of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

's provinces

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

, and has established several provincial symbols.

Official symbols

	Symbol	Adopted	Remarks
Coat of arms Coat of arms A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...	Coat of arms of British Columbia Coat of arms of British Columbia The original coat of arms of British Columbia, also known as the Arms of Her Majesty in right of British Columbia, was granted to British Columbia by a Royal Warrant of King Edward VII on 31 March 1906...	October 15, 1987	Granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Motto Motto A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...	Splendor sine occasu (Splendour without diminishment)	October 15, 1987	Granted with other elements of the coat of arms by Queen Elizabeth II
Shield of arms	Shield of arms of British Columbia	1906	Granted by King Edward VII
Flag Flag A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...	Flag of British Columbia Flag of British Columbia The flag of British Columbia is based upon the shield of the provincial arms of British Columbia. At the top of the flag is a rendition of the Union Flag, defaced in the centre by a crown, representing the province's origins as a British colony, with a setting sun below.-History:The British...	1960	Duplicates the design of the shield of arms of British Columbia
Flower Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...	Pacific dogwood Pacific Dogwood The Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii , is a species of dogwood native to western North America from lowlands of southern British Columbia to mountains of southern California. An inland population occurs in central Idaho. Cultivated examples are found as far north as Haida Gwaii... Cornus nuttalli	1956
Mammal Mammal Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...	Spirit bear Ursus americanus kermodei	April 2006	Also called Kermode Bear
Bird Bird Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...	Steller's Jay Steller's Jay The Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay... Cyanocitta stelleri	December 1982	Voted by the people of British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
Tree Tree A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...	Western Redcedar Thuja plicata donn	February 1988	Western Red Cedar is a valuable economic resource of the province
Gemstone Gemstone A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...	Jade Jade Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...	1968	Jade is mined in many parts of British Columbia
Tartan Tartan Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...	Blue, white, green, red and gold	1974	Symbolising the ocean, dogwood, forests, the maple leaf and sun on the shield and flag

Other symbols

	Symbol	Image	Adopted	Remarks
Provincial Government Symbol	"Spirit of BC" (Flag Graphic)		1983	This was the symbol of the Government of BC from 1983 to 2003. It was a stylized graphic of the flag of British Columbia

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