Columbia-Shuswap Regional District

The Columbia-Shuswap Regional District is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the heart of the Southern Interior region on the Trans-Canada Highway between Vancouver and Calgary. The regional district comprises the regions known as the Shuswap Country, which focuses around Shuswap Lake and lies to the north of the Okanagan, and the northern part of the Columbia Country, namely the "Big Bend" of the valley of the Columbia River from the Town of Golden to the City of Revelstoke (Revelstoke is sometimes referred to as being in the North Kootenay, Golden is usually thought of as being part of the East Kootenay sub-region, the Columbia Valley). It is a year-round vacation destination with some of the best views in Canada. The population of the region is 52,227 (2004 Stats). The Canada 2006 Census figure was 50,141. The regional district's offices are in Salmon Arm.

[edit] Geography

The heavy alpine terrain of the northern Selkirk Mountains and Rocky Mountains dominate the eastern half of the regional district, which includes the northern part of the Columbia Valley region, which is part of the Rocky Mountain Trench. Shuswap Lake is the central feature in the western half. Shuswap Lake, an H-shaped lake, is popular for house boating. It also has sandy beaches that run along almost all of its shore line. The rivers that empty into it include the Salmon River, Shuswap River, and the Eagle River (the basin of the Shuswap River, however, is part of the Regional District of North Okanagan). The surrounding mountains are also popular for snowmobiling, and skiing. The total land area of the regional district is 29,003.3 km² (11,198.2 sq mi).