| Population: |
| 461,858 (approximate for area, based on 2001 Census) |
| Elevation: |
| 277m (909 ft) to 1,067m (3,500 ft) in the valleys to 3,954 (13,180 ft) on surrounding mountains. |
| Distance from major centres (to the Thompson Okanagan): |
| Calgary to Vernon - 556 km/345 mi |
| Calgary to Kamloops - 620km/385 mi |
| Seattle to Osoyoos - 440 km/273 mi |
| Spokane to Osoyoos - 305 km/189 mi |
| Vancouver to Princeton - 283 km/176 mi |
| Vancouver to Kamloops (via Hwy 5) - 355 km/220 mi |
| Vancouver to Kamloops (via Hwy 1) - 427 km/265 mi |
| Distances within Thompson Okanagan: |
| Kelowna to Kamloops - 163 km/101 mi |
| Osoyoos to Vernon - 174 km/108 mi |
| Princeton to Osoyoos - 213 km/132 mi |
| Valemount to Clearwater - 201 km/125 mi |
| Valemount to Kamloops - 320 km/199 mi |
| Valemount to Kelowna - 483 km/300 mi |
| Merritt to Sicamous (via Hwy 97C/Hwy97) - 249 km/155 mi |
| Merritt to Sicamous (via Hwy 5/Hwy1) - 226 km/140 mi |
| Salmon Arm to Penticton - 174 km/108 mi |
| Grand Forks to Osoyoos - 126 km/78 mi |
| Weather |
| Average Hours of Sunshine: over 2000 per year |
| Average Rainfall: 304.7mm/11in annually (varies by city) |
| Average Snowfall: 139.8cm/55in in the valleys (varies by city). Up to 644cm/253.5in on the mountains |
| Frost Free Days: 120-175 days annually |
| Average maximum temperature (summer): 28.4 C/84 F (it is not unusual for summer temperatures to reach 30C/86 F and higher) |
| Average minimum temperature (winter): -8.8 C/16 F |
| Major Lakes: |
| Okanagan Lake 155 km / 96.8 mi long |
| Murle Lake 100 km / 62.1 mi long |
| Adams Lake 69 km / 43 mi long |
| Kamloops Lake 36 km / 22 mi long |
| Mabel Lake, Enderby 35 km / 21 mi long |
| Christina Lake 27 km / 16 mi long |
| Clearwater Lake 22 km / 13.7 mi long |
| Mahood Lake 19 km / 12 mi long |
| Osoyoos Lake, Osoyoos 19 km / 12 mi long |
| Skaha Lake, Penticton 14 km / 9 mi long |
| Kalamalka Lake, Vernon 11 km / 7 mi long |
| Shuswap Lake 1000 km of shoreline |
| Nicola Lake 6,215 ha / 15,537.5 acres |
| Major Waterfalls: |
| Helmcken Falls, Wells Gray Prov Park 141m / 470ft high |
| Spahts Creek Falls, Wells Gray Prov Park 61m / 203ft high |
| Falls of the Pool, Mt Robson Prov Park 46m / 153ft high |
| Emperor Falls, Mt Robson Prov Park 44m / 147ft high |
| Deception Falls, Wells Gray Prov Park 35m/117ft high |
| Dawson Falls, Wells Gray Prov Park 18m/60ft high, 91m/303ft wide |
| Major Industries: |
| tourism, fresh fruit and by-products, wineries, forestry, mining, light industry, agriculture |
| Provincial Parks: |
| 65 provincial parks covering 907,580 hectares/2,268,950 acres. Over 1100 vehicle/tent campsites and over 300 wilderness/walk-in campsites. |
| Beaches: |
| miles of sandy beaches |
| Camping Facilities: |
| over 160 camping areas with over 9500 sites, plus provincial parks and wilderness campsites. |
| Accommodation: |
| over 300 hotels/motels/resorts with over 11,500 rooms, over 100 bed and breakfasts with 280 rooms, approximately 20 guest ranches with over 100 rooms. Also available are houseboats, fishing resorts, condominium/townhouses, and hostels. |
| Golf Courses: |
| over 45 courses ranging from tournament calibre to recreational nine-hole par 3 and putting courses |
| Ski areas: |
| four destination resorts with on-mountain accommodation - Sun Peaks, Kamloops; Silver Star, Vernon; Big White, Kelowna; and Apex, Penticton. Average vertical drop 755 m/2517 ft. Average annual snowfall over 644 cm/253 in. Open November through April. |
| Community ski areas |
| Crystal Mountain, Westbank; Mt Baldy, Oliver/Osoyoos; Bear Mountain, Princeton; Harper Mountain, Kamloops; Clearwater Ski Hill, Clearwater; Phoenix Mountain, Grand Forks. |
| Hundreds of cross-country ski trails. Heli-skiing, snowmobiling, and snowboarding also available |
| Other recreational facilities: |
| swimming pools, community centres, curling rinks, baseball diamonds, arenas, racquet sport centres, water skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, houseboating, sailing, rowing, kayaking, canoeing, board-sailing, tubing, horseback riding, snowmobiling, dog sledding, mountain biking, heli hiking. |
| Tours: |
| over 60 wineries (tours, tastings, and some with restaurants); 11 micro breweries; orchard, packinghouse, and fruit factory tours; sawmills; mines; forestry; agriculture; fish hatcheries; cheese factories; historical and heritage sites; circle drive tours; walking; cycling; air and water tours; first nations; heli tours; wine museum; observatory. |
| Health Facilities: |
| 12 major hospitals, cancer centre, excellent private care facilities |
| Transportation: |
| three major commercial airports (Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton) with daily flights to many major cities. Major carriers are: Air Canada (and its regional partner Jazz), WestJet, Horizon Air. Five airstrips for light aircraft (Vernon, Lumby, Oliver, Salmon Arm, and Princeton). |
| Greyhound bus terminals in most communities. |
| Via Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains. |
| Taxis, car rental outlets, local transit systems, pedi cabs, boat rentals, and paddlewheelers |
| Restaurants and Night Life: |
| Over 600 lounges, pubs, nightclubs and restaurants. |
| Shopping areas: |
| over 35 malls, downtown shopping areas in each community. |
| Media: |
| 19 radio stations, over 40 community newspapers, two television station, 15 cable networks. |
| Cultural/Art: |
| community theatres, public art galleries, historical and heritage sites, arts and craft galleries, antique shops, museums, libraries, first nations exhibits and sites, natural history tours (rockhounding, fossil collecting), hoodoos, unique rock and mountain formations. |
| Colleges/Universities: |
| Okanagan University College 4 campuses (KLO, Penticton, Vernon, Salmon Arm) |
| Thompson Rivers University 2 campuses (Kamloops, Merritt) |
| Selkirk College 2 campuses (Grand Forks, Midway) |
| UBC Okangan campus (Kelowna) |
| Tourist Attractions: |
| attractions include: Adams River Salmon Run, Alpaca farm, bird sanctuary, fallow deer farm, fruit and vegetable stands, gardens, art galleries, ghost towns, go-karts, gold panning, guest ranches, honey bee farm, houseboats, Interior Space & Science Centre, Kettle Valley Steam Railway, lake tours, lazer tag, mini golf and putting greens, miniature horses, mini-formula one cars, observatory, Ogopogo sighting stations, Okanagan Opals, orchard tours, Osoyoos Desert, paintball, parasailing, Parrot Island, petting zoo, Pheasant World, skateboard parks, theme parks, trout farm/fish hatcheries, waterslides, whitewater rafting, wild boar farm, wildlife park, wine train. |
| Many festivals, farmers markets, First Nations events, regattas, rodeos, exhibitions, triathlons, fairs, horse races, tournaments, curling bonspiels, contests, and shows. |
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