Population: 83,000
Serves as the metropolitan core for a region of 360,000
Capital City of British Columbia
Victoria was incorporated on August 2, 1862
Over 3 million tourists visit annually
Canada's oldest Chinatown
Average of 2,183 hours of sunshine each year
Average rainfall is 66.5 centimetres per year
1,600 hanging baskets adorn the city each summer
Victoria is internationally renowned as the "City of Gardens"
There are 2,855 farms on Vancouver Island including 991 in Greater Victoria and 700 in the Cowichan Valley
National Geographic Magazine recognizes Vancouver Island as one of the best cold-water diving destinations in the world
The Jacques Cousteau Society rates the area as only second to the Red Sea for diversity of marine life and water clarity
Victoria's waters are home to three resident pods of orca whales, totaling over 80 mammals
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria has the second best and most comprehensive collection of Asian art in Canada
13 per cent of the Canadian Olympic team that participated in the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China is from Victoria.
The Butchart Gardens receive more than a million visitors each year and have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada
Founded in 1886, the Royal BC Museum is one of the foremost cultural institutions in the world
Victoria has hundreds of kilometres of bicycle paths, bike lanes and bike routes in the city, including the incomparable Galloping Goose Regional Trail
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