Greater Vancouver
The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) is a regional district within the
Canadian province of British Columbia. It comprises the metropolitan area
surrounding the city of Vancouver, and is essentially synonymous with Greater
Vancouver or the Vancouver Metropolitan Area.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District occupies the southwest corner of Mainland
British Columbia . It comprises the western half of the Lower Mainland. The
Lower Mainland is the name that residents of British Columbia apply to the
region surrounding the City of Vancouver. The term has historically been in
popular usage for over a century to describe a region that extends from
Horseshoe Bay south to the U.S. border and east to Hope at the eastern end of
the Fraser Valley .
In 2006, the Greater Vancouver Regional District had a population of 2,116,581
living in 870,992 dwellings. The regional district has a land area of 2,877.36
km² (1,111 sq mi) and a population density of 735.6/km² (1,905.2/sq mi).
The municipalities within the Greater Vancouver area are: