country. The region has an annual precipitation of between 1500 and 2000 millimetres. Prince Rupert, on the northwest coast, receives 2552 millimetres, making it the wettest and cloudiest town in Canada!

For almost 10,000 years, people have lived in this coastal region, and their legacy remains today in the presence of native peoples like the Haida, Nootka, and Central Coast Salish. Two and a half million people now live in the Pacific Maritime ecozone, and its generally mild climate and natural beauty attract thousands more every year, especially to the most southern parts, where the two main cities, Victoria and Vancouver, are located. Forestry is the major industry in the region as a whole. Agriculture (mainly fruit and vegetable farming) is important in the south, in southeastern Vancouver Island and in the Fraser Valley. And, of course, the large cities provide jobs in the service industries and public sector. Fishing is

also significant, though less so than it used to be because of overfishing.

The four National Parks in the Pacific Maritime ecozone are Kluane, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve (on the Queen Charlotte Islands), and Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.