View looking east over the southern Okanagan Valley on a spring afternoon : The Okanagan, also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of the Okanagan Country extending into the United States as Okanogan County. As of 2011 the region's population is approximately 341818. The primary city is Kelowna. The region is known for its dry sunny climate dry landscapes and lakeshore communities and particular lifestyle The economy is retirement and commercial recreation based with outdoor activities such as boating and watersports snow skiing and hiking.