1. Victoria's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America after San Francisco. You'll find the narrowest alley in all of Canada here.

2. Famous people from Victoria include singer Nelly Furtado, basketball star Steve Nash, musician David Foster, director Adam Egoyan, artists Nick Bantock and Jack Shadbolt.

3. Victoria has the second highest number of restaurants per capita in North America, second only to San Francisco.

4. About 200 northern resident orcas famous for rubbing their bellies on the smooth pebble beaches.

5 .The world's largest burl, up to 30 tons and 350 years old, is in downtown Port McNeil.

6. There are 3,560 lights on the Parliament Buildings.

7. The Fairmont Empress serves 500,000 cups of tea annually.

8. The world's largest hockey stick resides in Duncan, and measures 205 feet long and 61,000 pounds. The mammoth symbol of hockey was created for Expo 86 and acquired by the city of Duncan afterwards.

9. Actress Pamela Anderson was named Canada's Centennial Baby, being the first child born in the country on the 100th celebration of Canada Day (4:08a.m., July 1, 1967, in Ladysmith).

10. Khutzeymateen Provincial Park is Canada's only Grizzly Bear sanctuary, home to more than 50 grizzlies across its 44,300 hectare grounds.