The
Gulf Islands are the
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
s in the
Strait of GeorgiaThe Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait , is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from 18.5 to 55 km...
(also known as the Gulf of Georgia, explained in detail below), between
Vancouver IslandVancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
and the mainland of
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The Gulf Islands are usually divided into two groups, the Southern and Northern Gulf Islands. The dividing line is approximately that formed by the city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and the mouth of the
Fraser RiverThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 km , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
on the mainland.
The
Gulf Islands are the
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
s in the
Strait of GeorgiaThe Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait , is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from 18.5 to 55 km...
(also known as the Gulf of Georgia, explained in detail below), between
Vancouver IslandVancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
and the mainland of
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The Gulf Islands are usually divided into two groups, the Southern and Northern Gulf Islands. The dividing line is approximately that formed by the city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and the mouth of the
Fraser RiverThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 km , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
on the mainland. All the major islands are served by B.C. Ferries.
Southern Gulf Islands
The Southern Gulf Islands include hundreds of islands and islets, and form part of a larger archipelago that also includes the nearby
San Juan IslandsThe San Juan Islands are a part of the San Juan Archipelago in the northwest corner of the continental United States. The archipelago is split into two groups of islands based on national sovereignty. San Juan Islands are part of the U.S. state of Washington, while the Gulf Islands are part of...
of the
State of WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
, in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The major Southern Gulf Islands, in alphabetical order, are:
- Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, in British Columbia , Canada. Gabriola lies about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by ferry...
- Galiano Island
Galiano Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Located on the west side of the Strait of Georgia, it is 27.5 km long, 6 km at its widest point, and 1.6 km across at its narrowest point and is separated from Saltspring...
- Kuper Island
Kuper Island belongs to the Penelakut First Nation and is located in the southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. Kuper has a population of about 300 members of the Penelakut Band...
- Mayne Island
Mayne Island is a rustic 21-km² island in the southern Gulf Islands chain of British Columbia. It is situated midway between the Lower Mainland of BC and Vancouver Island, and has a population of around eleven hundred.-History:...
- North and South Pender Island
Pender Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands located in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. Pender Island is approximately in area and is home to about 2,500 permanent residents, as well as a large seasonal population...
s
- Saltspring Island
Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada and Vancouver Island. It is the largest, the most populous, and the most frequently visited of the Gulf Islands...
- Saturna Island
Saturna Island is a mountainous island, about 31 km² in size, in the southern Gulf Islands chain of British Columbia. It is situated approximately midway between the Lower Mainland of B.C. and Vancouver Island, and is the most easterly of the Gulf Islands. It is surrounded on three sides by...
- Thetis Island
Thetis Island is an island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the Gulf Islands. The island was named in 1851 after HMS Thetis, a 36-gun Royal Navy frigate commanded by Captain Augustus Leopold Kuper . The ship was named after the Nereid Thetis from Greek mythology...
- Valdes Island
Valdes Island is one of the Gulf Islands located in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. It is across Porlier Pass from Galiano Island. It has an area of 23 kilometers squared, and is 1.6 km wide by 16 km in length...
Northern Gulf Islands
The major Northern Gulf Islands, in alphabetical order, are:
- Denman Island
- Hornby Island
Hornby Island of British Columbia, Canada, is a Northern Gulf Island parallel with Vancouver Island's Comox Valley.A small community of 1074 residents is distributed across the island. The island is culturally distinctive as it was the site of a large immigration of American draft dodgers during...
- Lasqueti Island
Lasqueti Island is an island off the east coast of Vancouver Island in the Strait of Georgia, Powell River Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. A passenger-only ferry connects the island to the community of French Creek, near Parksville...
- Texada Island
Texada Island is the largest island in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. Its northern tip is located about southwest of the city of Powell River and west of the Sechelt Peninsula on the Sunshine Coast. A former mining and logging area, the island still has a few quarries and old...
Cortes Island, and
Quadra IslandQuadra Island is an island off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, part of the Discovery Islands. It is separated from Vancouver Island by Discovery Passage, and from Cortes Island by Sutil Channel...
are referred to as being part of the Gulf Islands, but as they are not in the Strait of Georgia they are more officially designated as part of the
Discovery IslandsThe Discovery Islands are the islands in the Discovery Passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland in British Columbia. These islands are sometimes considered to be part of the Northern Gulf Islands....
.
Bowen IslandBowen Island, British Columbia, is an island municipality in Howe Sound, and within Metro Vancouver. Approximately 6km wide by 12km long, the island at its closest point is about 2km west of the mainland. There is regular ferry service from Horseshoe Bay, as well as three water taxi services...
, the outermost of the islands of
Howe SoundHowe Sound is a roughly triangular sound, actually a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver.-Geography:Howe Sound's mouth at the Strait of Georgia is situated between West Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast. The sound is triangular shaped, open on its southeast towards the...
, is also often referred to as a Gulf Island, as is neighbouring
Gambier IslandNote: For the Gambier Islands in Polynesia see Gambier Islands.Gambier Island is an island located in Howe Sound near Vancouver, British Columbia...
.
"Gulf of Georgia"
The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by
George VancouverCaptain George Vancouver RN was an officer in the British Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of the North-West Coast of North America, including the shores of the modern day Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
in his mapping of the southern part of the archipelago and which before the San Juan Island dispute also was taken to include what have since been called the
San Juan IslandsThe San Juan Islands are a part of the San Juan Archipelago in the northwest corner of the continental United States. The archipelago is split into two groups of islands based on national sovereignty. San Juan Islands are part of the U.S. state of Washington, while the Gulf Islands are part of...
. Strictly speaking, the Strait of Georgia is
only the wide, open waters of the main strait between the mainland and Vancouver Island, and does not officially refer to the adjoining waters between the Islands and between them and Vancouver Island but has become a common misnomer for the entire Gulf, which includes waters such as
Trincomali ChannelTrincomali Channel is a channel or strait in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, located between Saltspring Island and Galiano Island . It is named for HMS Trincomalee which was assigned to the Royal Navy's Pacific Station at Esquimalt in the 19th Century....
(between Galiano and Saltspring Islands),
Sansum NarrowsSansum Narrows is a strait or channel between Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island in the Southern Gulf Islands region of British Columbia, Canada. It is crossed by a BC Ferries route from Crofton to Vesuvius Bay on the northwestern shore of Saltspring. Its northern outlet adjoins Saanich...
(between
Saltspring IslandSaltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada and Vancouver Island. It is the largest, the most populous, and the most frequently visited of the Gulf Islands...
and Vancouver Island) and
Malaspina StraitMalaspina Strait is a strait in the northern Gulf of Georgia-Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It separates Texada Island from the upper Sunshine Coast-Malaspina Peninsula area on the adjacent mainland....
(between Texada Island and the mainland around
Powell RiverPowell River is a city on the northern Sunshine Coast of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Most of its population lives near the eastern shores of Malaspina Strait, that part of the larger Gulf of Georgia between Texada Island and the Mainland...
. "The Gulf" refers to all such waters collectively, and to those communities and shores surrounding it. Only the term "Strait of Georgia" remains in the provincial gazette although its use as a synonym for the Gulf is unofficial, while the term Gulf of Georgia remains in current use though not in the provincial gazette.
Ecology
The islands and surrounding ocean are rich with
ecologicallyEcology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the interactions of these organisms with their environment....
diverse plants and sea life including
Garry oakThe Garry Oak , also known as Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and at...
s, wild lilies,
kelp{Taxobox| name =Kelp| image = Kelp In Freycinet Tasmania.jpg| image_width = 300px| image_caption = Kelp on rocky beach in Freycinet, Tasmania| regnum = Chromalveolata| phylum = Heterokontophyta| classis = Phaeophyceae| ordo = Laminariales...
beds and
OrcaThe Killer Whale or Orca , or less commonly, Blackfish, is the largest species of the dolphin family. Most people think that they are whales, but they are actually dolphins. They are called killer whales often because they sometimes hunt whales for food...
s, the world's largest dolphin.
Gulf Islands National Park ReserveGulf Islands National Park Reserve is the 40th National Park in a system of 43 parks and park reserves across Canada. Located in British Columbia's Gulf Islands, it covers 33 square kilometers over 16 islands...
of Canada was established in 2003 by
Parks CanadaParks Canada is a Government of Canada agency that is mandated to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's natural and cultural heritage and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present...
to protect the area’s unique ecosystem.
The Gulf Islands are home to one of the last remaining pockets of
Garry oakThe Garry Oak , also known as Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and at...
ecosystemAn ecosystem is a system of interdependent organisms which share the same habitat, in an area functioning together with all of the physical factors of the environment. Ecosystems can be permanent or temporary. Ecosystems usually form a number of food webs...
s. Only about five percent of Garry oak ecosystems remain in their natural state, landing 91 of the approximately 350
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
it supports on the province's list of
species at risk. The unique
Mediterranean climateA hi Mediterranean climate resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes most of the area with this climate type worldwide...
of the islands is ideal for Garry oak ecosystems. Garry oak ecosystems are home to more plant species, such as the
camasCamassia is a genus of six species native to western North America, from southern British Columbia to northern California, and east to Utah, Wyoming and Montana...
, than any other terrestrial ecosystem in coastal B.C. and are one of Canada's most at-risk natural habitats.
Today, Garry oak meadows exist in the shallow and exposed
soilSoil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics. It is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and...
of
valleyIn geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
s, rocky
foothillsFoothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in hilly areas at the base of a mountain range. They are generally larger than hills, but not as tall as nearby mountains...
and southern slopes — areas that the settlers of the past 150 years have found unsuitable for
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
or
developmentSubdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known as a subdivision in the United States...
.
The Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (GOERT), a partnership of a number of governmental and non-governmental agencies that comprise 22 individuals, was established in 1999 after the delegates of the First International Garry Oak Ecosystem Symposium met in
VictoriaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a major tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy. Victoria is a cruise ship port where...
and declared the ecosystem endangered. Since then, GOERT has been working to motivate public and private restoration of the rare ecosystem and promote
conservationHabitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
activities.
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/so06/indepth/nature.asp
Provincial Parks and Protected Areas
- Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park
Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada located on southwestern Saltspring Island near Fulford Harbour and facing northwest to Sansum Narrows, which is the channel between Saltspring and Vancouver Island. It is 334 hectares in size and was established via...
, Saltspring Island
- Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park
Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is a small, island which is quite beautiful. Anyone is free to camp on Jedediah island; but usually the only way to get there is by boat. The nearest access is from Lasqueti Island.-The Palmers:The Palmers...
See also
- List of islands of Canada
- List of National Parks of Canada
- San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are a part of the San Juan Archipelago in the northwest corner of the continental United States. The archipelago is split into two groups of islands based on national sovereignty. San Juan Islands are part of the U.S. state of Washington, while the Gulf Islands are part of...
External links