San Juan Islands

San Juan Islands, island group constituting San Juan County, northwestern Washington, at the entrance to Puget Sound. The islands lie to the east of Vancouver Island, B.C. The largest islands of the group are Orcas, San Juan, and Lopez. Forested and largely hilly, the islands constitute a summer resort center. Friday Harbor on San Juan Island is the principal town and county seat. The group was visited and named in 1792 by Spanish navigators, and the islands became part of the United States in 1872 following the settlement of a boundary dispute with Britain. Events leading to this settlement are commemorated in San Juan Island National Historical Park.