Stikine Region, British Columbia
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Stikine Region is the northwesternmost region in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It emcompasses the only area in B.C. not in a regional district. It has a total population of 1,352 (2004 est.) including 282 aboriginals. The 2001 census count was 1,316 persons. It has an area of 132,496.2 sq. kilometers (51,157.07 sq mi). Its one person per 100 km² makes it the least densely inhabitated region in British Columbia and least densely inhabited census division in Canada.
In the 2001 Census, Statistics Canada enumerated the following list of "Designated Places". None of them are municipalities - they are a mixture of Indian Reserves (names end in numbers), "Indian Settlements" (aboriginal communities that are not formally identified as Indian Reserves) and one arbitrarily-delimited "unincorporated place" (Dease Lake, which is administratively within the Stikine Region Regional District Electoral Area), with the following populations (2001 Canadian Census):
| Settlement | Population |
| Stikine Region Regional District Electoral Area (includes Dease Lake) | 931 |
| Dease Lake (part of Stikine Region Regional District Electoral Area | 318 |
| Liard River 3 | 102 |
| Five Mile Point 3 | 97 |
| Good Hope Lake | 75 |
| Dease Lake 9 | 66 |
| Lower Post | 28 |
| Unnamed 10 (near Atlin) | 17 |
| Tahltan 1 | 0 |
It is bordered by the Yakutat, Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon, Juneau and Haines boroughs of the U.S. state of Alaska to the west, the Yukon Territory to the north (which has no county-like system of division), the Northern Rockies and Peace River regional districts to the east, and the Bulkley-Nechako and Kitimat-Stikine regional districts to the south.
The principal economic activity in the region is mining. The region’s largest mine was the Cassiar asbestos mine which opened in 1952. The mine was depleted by 1991 and after a failed expansion to more underground deposits it was closed in early 1992. The Erickson Gold mine was operational from 1979 to 1988. The Taurus gold mine operated between 1982 and 1988. Both were planned to re-open in 1993-1994 but neither was able. The Golden Bear gold-silver mine operated between 1990 and 1993 before closing due to cost overruns. It was re-opened in 1997 after shifting to underground mining, from open-pit, but closed again in late 2001. The new Tulsequah Chief Mine, south of Atlin, with an estimated at 7.7 million tons containing copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver is under construction.
A major discovery of copper, gold, cobalt, silver and zinc was removed from mining potential with the establishment of the Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park, located in the region western-most panhandle, in 1993. Other provincial parks in the region include the Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area, Stikine River Provincial Park, Mount Edziza Provincial Park and the Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. The parks, and the region’s remoteness, are attracting a growing number of tourist and generating employment in outfitting, guiding and hunting.
[edit] References
- Community Profile: Stikine Region, British Columbia; Statistics Canada
- BC Regional Index
- BC Stats profile
- Map with place names
| Province / Territory | Largest | km² | Smallest | km² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Division No. 17 | 192,055.15 | Division No. 8 | 9,908.36 |
| British Columbia | Stikine Region | 132,496.21 | Nanaimo | 2,034.94 |
| Manitoba | Division No. 23 | 242,016.21 | Division No. 11 | 572.12 |
| New Brunswick | North'land County | 12,112.44 | St. John County | 1,462.43 |
| N'land and Labrador | Division No. 10 | 269,073.30 | Division No. 2 | 6,099.04 |
| Northwest Territories | Fort Smith Region | 618,360.38 | Inuvik Region | 522,747.99 |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax County | 5,495.54 | Richmond County | 1,244.28 |
| Nunavut | Qikiqtaaluk Region | 1,023,570.49 | Kivalliq Region | 444,680.40 |
| Ontario | Kenora District | 407,167.33 | Toronto Division | 629.91 |
| Prince Edward Island | Queens County | 2,020.17 | Kings County | 1,684.35 |
| Quebec | Nord-du-Québec | 747,719.86 | Laval | 247.07 |
| Saskatchewan | Division No. 18 | 268,498.80 | Division No. 10 | 12,223.73 |
|
Largest and smallest divisions overall appear in italics. | ||||
| Province / Territory | Largest | Smallest | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Div. No. 6 (Calgary) | 1,021,060 | Division No. 4 | 11,300 |
| British Columbia | Greater Vancouver | 1,986,965 | Stikine Region | 1,316 |
| Manitoba | Division No. 11 | 621,451 | Division No. 23 | 8,989 |
| New Brunswick | Westmorland County | 124,688 | Queens County | 11,862 |
| N'land and Labrador | Division No. 1 | 242,875 | Division No. 3 | 19,370 |
| Northwest Territories | Fort Smith Region | 28,824 | Inuvik Region | 8,536 |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax County | 359,183 | Victoria County | 7,962 |
| Nunavut | Qikiqtaaluk Region | 14,372 | Kitikmeot Region | 4,816 |
| Ontario | Toronto Division | 2,481,494 | Manitoulin District | 12,679 |
| Prince Edward Island | Queens County | 71,619 | Kings County | 19,180 |
| Quebec | Montreal | 1,812,723 | L'Île-d'Orléans | 6,779 |
| Saskatchewan | Division No. 11 | 237,629 | Division No. 4 | 11,714 |
|
Most and least populous divisions appear in italics. | ||||
