溫哥華
维库，知识与思想的自由文库
|
[编辑] 歷史溫哥華已有200多年的歷史。起初這裡是一個不出名的小漁鎮，1792年英國航海家喬治·溫哥華到達此地，並對其進行勘測。1895年開始設立市政機構。1863年，第一批歐洲移民來到這裡，建立了鋸木廠並從事出口貿易。1886年4月6日正式設市。人們為了紀念第一位到達此地的探險者，故將該市以溫哥華來命名。 [编辑] 地理環境溫哥華地理位置位於不列颠哥伦比亚省西南沿海的布拉德峽灣和菲莎河口的三角洲之間，是加拿大西岸最大的港口。溫哥華背靠海岸山脈，面向喬治亞海峽。雖然緯度較高，但因有暖流經過，所以冬季一般不常降雪，港口不結冰。 溫哥華是一個景色優美的地方，並以豐富的人文資源而著稱，使她成為加拿大的旅遊勝地。她擁有潔淨的空氣和新鮮的水質。由於氣候溫和，溫哥華可提供全年的戶外活動。溫哥華的消費水平並不高，交通也很便捷，作為太平洋的貿易中心，溫哥華的居民本身由不同文化背景的移民組成。溫哥華的「中國城」是北美除舊金山以外最大的中國城。溫哥華是華人重鎮，通用普通话（国语）和广东话（粤语）及其它各種中國方言。 温哥华氣候溫和，四季宜人，市内草地常綠、繁花似錦，属温带海洋性气候。夏季氣溫一般在攝氏20度左右，冬季氣溫一般在攝氏0度以上。十一月份溫哥華的氣溫在一般保持在3℃-9℃之間，溫潤而舒适，冬季很少下雪。溫哥華素有「加拿大雨都」之称，尤其在冬季。 溫哥華市主要包括：城區，溫西，溫東。 溫市隸屬不列颠哥伦比亚省轄下的大溫哥華區域局；區域局轄下除溫市外另設20個市鎮，包括列治文市(Richmond)，本那比市(Burnaby)，素里市(Surrey)等。 [编辑] 交通溫哥華的電車系統(Streetcar)建立於1890年6月28日，連接當時的Granville Street Bridge及西敏道（Westminster Avenue；現名Main Street）。不足一年後，二埠與溫哥華的電車公司共同開辦加拿大第一條連接兩市的路線，這條路線加速了社區之間的交流，同時也促進了市中心的發展。[2] 卑詩電車局（British Columbia Electric Railway）後來成爲市區及市際電車系統的營運商，直至電車系統於1958年完全被柴油巴士取代為止。[3] 在1980年代，市政府經過長時間的討論後決定禁止在溫哥華市區興建高速公路。[4]唯一的例外就是橫加公路(Trans-Canada Highway），但它也只是位於市區東部的邊緣而已。 運輸聯線（TransLink）負責為大溫地區管理道路網及提供公共交通服務，包括：普通巴士和B-Line快速巴士綫；連接溫市中心及北岸的海上巴士（SeaBus）；架空列車捷運系統；還有提供市郊通勤服務的西岸快車（West Coast Express）。[5] 而連接溫市中心，列治文市和溫哥華國際機場的加拿大綫捷運（Canada Line）則正在建造中，預計2009年完工。 太平洋中央車站（Pacific Central Station）是城際鐵路服務的樞紐，有列車前往國内其他地區（由VIA鐵路營運）及美國西雅圖（由美鐵營運的Cascades列車）。 溫哥華國際機場（YVR）位於溫市以南列治文市的海島（Sea Island ），是加拿大第二繁忙的機場，也是北美西岸第二最多國際旅客抵步的機場。另外，溫哥華海港亦有提供水上飛機服務。大溫地區亦有兩座卑詩渡輪碼頭，分別位於西溫馬蹄灣及三角洲Tsawwassen，提供前往溫哥華島等地的渡輪服務。 [编辑] 旅遊溫哥華旅遊景點眾多，包括史丹利公園（Stanley Park）- 北美第三大的市區公園，獅門橋（Lions' Gate Bridge），加拿大廣場（Canada Place）- 著名的「五帆」建筑，伊麗莎白女王公園（Queen Elizabeth Park），葛勞士山(Grouse Mountain)，卡皮拉諾吊橋(Capilano Suspension Bridge)，唐人街（千禧門，孫中山花園），惠斯勒(Whistler)滑雪場（2010年冬奥會滑雪舉辦場）等。 [编辑] 教育大溫哥華地區有兩大著名大學：
同時還有其它學院如：
[编辑] 政府Vancouver, unlike other British Columbia municipalities, is incorporated under a unique provincial statute, the Vancouver Charter.[6] The legislation, passed in 1953, supersedes the Vancouver Incorporation Act, 1921 and grants the city more and different powers than other communities possess under BC's Municipalities Act. The civic government has been dominated by the centre-right Non-Partisan Association (NPA) since the Second World War, albeit with some significant centre-left interludes.[7] The NPA's Sam Sullivan was elected mayor of Vancouver in November 2005, signaling the party's return to power after a social democratic slate swept the previous election. The NPA fractured over the issue of drug policy in 2002, facilitating a landslide victory for the Coalition of Progressive Electors on a harm reduction platform. Subsequently, North America's first safe injection site was opened for the significant number of intravenous heroin users in the city. Vancouver is governed by the ten-member Vancouver City Council, a nine-member School Board, and a seven-member Parks Board, all elected for three-year terms through an at-large system. Historically, in all levels of government, the more affluent west side of Vancouver has voted along conservative or liberal lines while the eastern side of the city has voted along left-wing lines.[8] This was reaffirmed with the results of the 2005 provincial election and the 2006 federal election. 
Though polarized, a political consensus has emerged in Vancouver around a number of issues. Protection of urban parks, a focus on the development of rapid transit as opposed to a freeway system, a harm reduction approach to illegal drug use, and a general concern about community-based development are examples of policies that have come to have broad support across the political spectrum in Vancouver. Larry Campbell's election as mayor in 2002 was in part due to his willingness to champion alternative interventions for drug issues, such as supervised injection sites. The city has adopted a Four Pillars Drug Strategy, which combines harm reduction (e.g. needle exchanges, supervised injection sites) with treatment, enforcement, and prevention.[9] The strategy is largely a response to the endemic HIV and hepatitis C among injection drug users in the city's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. The area is characterized by entrenched poverty, and consequently is home to the "low track" street sex trade and a bustling "open air" street drug market, which gave rise to a significant AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. Some community and professional groups — such as From Grief to Action and Keeping the Door Open — are fostering public dialogue in the city about further alternatives to current drug policies.[10][11] Campbell chose not to run for re-election, and was subsequently appointed to the Senate of Canada. In the 2005 Municipal Election, the City Council swung back to the right after a term dominated by the leftist Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE). NPA mayoral candidate Sam Sullivan narrowly defeated Jim Green for the position of mayor and was joined by five of his party's members on Council. The centrist Vision Vancouver (VVN) brought four members to Council, with the final seat going to COPE. The NPA also won six of nine School Board seats and five of seven Parks Board seats, while the remaining Board seats were won by COPE.[12] [编辑] Provincial representationIn the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Vancouver is represented by ten Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), which includes Gordon Campbell, the current Premier. In the 2005 provincial election, the BC Liberal Party and the BC New Democratic Party each won five seats. [编辑] Federal representationIn the Canadian House of Commons, Vancouver is represented by five Members of Parliament. In the 2004 federal elections, the Liberal Party of Canada won four seats and the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) one. In the 2006 federal elections, all the same Members of Parliament were re-elected. However, on 6 February 2006, David Emerson of Vancouver Kingsway defected to the Conservative Party, giving the Conservatives one seat in Vancouver. As of February 2006, the Liberals hold three seats, and the NDP and the Conservatives hold one each. [编辑] Policing![Crime rate in Vancouver, 1984–2005.[13]](/wiki/Image:Vancouver_BC_crime.png)
While most of the Lower Mainland is policed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's "E" Division, Vancouver has its own city police force (as do New Westminster, West Vancouver, Delta, and Port Moody), with a strength of 1,174 sworn members and an operating budget of almost $150 million (in 2005 figures).[14][15][16] Over 16% of the city's budget was spent on police protection in 2005.[17] The Vancouver Police has numerous operational divisions, including a bicycle squad, a marine squad, and a dog squad. It also has a mounted squad, used primarily to patrol Stanley Park and occasionally the Downtown Eastside and West End, as well as for crowd control.[18] The police work in conjunction with civilian and volunteer run Community Police Centres.[19] In 2006, the police department established its own Counter Terrorism Unit, which led to speculation of a rift between the Vancouver Police and the RCMP because the latter normally handles national security matters.[20][21] In 2005, a new transit police force, the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service (GVTAPS), was established with full police powers. 
Although it is technically illegal, Vancouver police generally do not arrest people for possessing small amounts of marijuana.[22] In 2000 the Vancouver Police Department established a specialized drug squad, "Growbusters," to carry out an aggressive campaign against the city's estimated 4,000 hydroponic marijuana growing operations (or grow-ops) in residential areas.[23] As with other law enforcement campaigns targeting marijuana this initiative has been sharply criticized.[24] As of 2005, Vancouver had the fourth highest crime rate among Canada's 27 census metropolitan areas.[25] However, as with other Canadian cities, the over-all crime rate has been falling "dramatically."[26][25] Vancouver's property crime rate is particularly high, ranking among the highest for major North American cities.[27] But even property crime dropped 10.5% between 2004 and 2005, according the Vancouver Police.[28] Vancouver plays host to special events such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, the Clinton-Yeltsin Summit or the Symphony of Fire fireworks show that require significant policing. The 1994 Stanley Cup riot overwhelmed police and injured more than 200 people. [编辑] 姊妹城市温哥华是世界上最早开始结为姊妹的城市之一。在1944年，为了援助当时二战盟军的港口城市，它与前苏联的敖德萨（Odessa）成为姊妹城。下面是温哥华现有的姊妹城市： 广州 高雄 釜山 敖德萨 [编辑] 外部連結英語網頁 [编辑] 参考資料
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
