The map above shows California and British Columbia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs British Columbia Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while British Columbia has 357,216 square miles (925,186 km²).
- British Columbia's land area is 2.3 times (129%) larger than California's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs British Columbia: 364,764 square miles (944,735 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- British Columbia's total area is 2.2 times (123%) larger than California's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; British Columbia is 1,017 miles (1,637 km).
- British Columbia's north-south length is 1.3 times (34%) longer than California's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; British Columbia spans 1,245 miles (2,003 km).
- British Columbia's east-west width is 1.8 times (76%) wider than California's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); British Columbia's is Mount Fairweather at 15,299 feet (4,663 m).
- Mount Fairweather is 815 feet higher than Mount Whitney.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; British Columbia's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs British Columbia Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while British Columbia has 5,658,528 (2026).
- California's population is 7.0 times (597%) larger than British Columbia's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs British Columbia: 15.8.
- California's population density is 16.0 times higher than British Columbia's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; British Columbia's is Vancouver with 662,248.
- Los Angeles' population is 5.9 times (486%) larger than Vancouver's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs British Columbia's Vancouver CMA (2,642,825).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 4.9 times (389%) larger than Vancouver CMA's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- British Columbia: Joined Confederation on July 20, 1871.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 21 years.
California vs British Columbia Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs British Columbia's $313.3 billion.
- California's economic output is 12.9 times larger than British Columbia's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs British Columbia: $55,241.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.9 times (86%) higher than British Columbia's.
Official Websites
California official website · British Columbia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All British Columbia size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.