British Columbia of British Columbia, and Victoria became the united colony's capital. In 1871, British Columbia became the sixth province of Canada. Its Latin motto is "Splendor sine occasu" ("Splendour without Diminishment"). The capital of British Columbia remains Victoria, the fifteenth-largest metropolitan region in Canada, named for Queen Victoria who ruled during the creation of the original colonies. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, and the second-largest in the Pacific Northwest. In October 2013, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,606,371 (about 2.5 million of whom were in Greater Vancouver). The
Coat of arms of British Columbia Empire"). The use of supporters, a high honour, was considered presumptuous, as no other province had been granted such a privilege. The shield only (with the positions of the Union Flag and setting sun reversed, and with the antique crown added), along with the motto, was granted in 1906. The achievement of arms was augmented with a crest, supporters, and compartment granted by Queen Elizabeth II, on 15 October 1987. Coat of arms of British Columbia The coat of arms of British Columbia is the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of British Columbia. The arms contains symbols reflecting British