<P> British Columbia evolved from British possessions that were established in what is now British Columbia by 1871 . First Nations, the original inhabitants of the land, have a history of at least 10,000 years in the area . Today there are few treaties and the question of Aboriginal Title, long ignored, has become a legal and political question of frequent debate as a result of recent court actions . Notably, the Tsilhqot'in Nation has established Aboriginal title to a portion of their territory, as a result of the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision (William (Tsilhqot'in Nation) v. British Columbia). </P> <P> BC's economy is diverse, with service producing industries accounting for the largest portion of the province's GDP . It is the terminus of two transcontinental railways, and the site of 27 major marine cargo and passenger terminals . Though less than 5% of its vast 944,735 km (364,764 sq mi) land is arable, the province is agriculturally rich (particularly in the Fraser and Okanagan valleys), because of milder weather near the coast and in certain sheltered southern valleys . Its climate encourages outdoor recreation and tourism, though its economic mainstay has long been resource extraction, principally logging, farming, and mining . Vancouver, the province's largest city, serves as the headquarters of many western - based natural resource companies . It also benefits from a strong housing market and a per capita income well above the national average . While the coast of British Columbia and some valleys in the south - central part of the province have mild weather, the majority of its land mass experiences a cold - winter - temperate climate similar to the rest of Canada . The Northern Interior region has a subarctic climate with very cold winters . The climate of Vancouver is by far the mildest winter climate of the major Canadian cities, with nighttime January temperatures averaging above the freezing point . </P> <P> The province's name was chosen by Queen Victoria, when the Colony of British Columbia (1858--66), i.e., "the Mainland", became a British colony in 1858 . It refers to the Columbia District, the British name for the territory drained by the Columbia River, in southeastern British Columbia, which was the namesake of the pre-Oregon Treaty Columbia Department of the Hudson's Bay Company . Queen Victoria chose British Columbia to distinguish what was the British sector of the Columbia District from the United States ("American Columbia" or "Southern Columbia"), which became the Oregon Territory on August 8, 1848, as a result of the treaty . </P> <P> Ultimately, the Columbia in the name British Columbia is derived from the name of the Columbia Rediviva, an American ship which lent its name to the Columbia River and later the wider region; the Columbia in the name Columbia Rediviva came from the name Columbia for the New World or parts thereof, a reference to Christopher Columbus . </P>

Where does the name british columbia come from
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