Nanaimo (city, British Columbia)

Nanaimo (city, British Columbia), city on Vancouver Island, southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the Strait of Georgia across from the city of Vancouver. Nanaimo is a seaport, distribution center, and industrial center located in an agricultural, forestry, and tourist region. Major manufactures include forest products, processed fish, and building materials. Tourism was a growing industry at the end of the 20th century. The city is served by Nanaimo Regional Airport and is also serviced by ferry at three terminals.

In the city are Malaspina University-College, site of the Nanaimo Art Gallery, and the Pacific Biological Station, a fisheries research laboratory. Additional points of interest are the Bastion, an 1853 Hudson’s Bay Company fort; the Nanaimo District Museum, which houses exhibits on coal mining and artifacts from indigenous peoples; and Harbourside Walkway, a promenade along the waterfront. Petroglyph Park, which contains ancient carvings in sandstone, is nearby. Newcastle Island Provincial Marine Park is accessible by ferry from Maffeo-Sutton Park. Annual events include the International Bathtub Race and Marine Festival, during which participants race in motorized bathtubs along the smaller islands surrounding Nanaimo.

The settlement grew around a Hudson's Bay Company trading post in the mid-19th century. Nanaimo’s name is derived from a Coast Salish term possibly meaning “big, strong tribe.” Nanaimo incorporated in 1874. Through the first half of the 20th century, it was a coal-mining center. In 1997 the HMCS Saskatchewan naval destroyer was sunk in the waters off Nanaimo and is now an artificial reef. The Port Theatre performing arts center opened in the city in 1998.

Nanaimo covers a land area of 88.2 sq km (34.1 sq mi). Population 60,129 (1991); 73,000 (2001).