Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island, island in southwestern British Columbia, in the Pacific Ocean. The largest island off western North America, it is 450 km (280 mi) long and has an area of 31,285 sq km (12,079 sq mi). It is separated from the mainland by a series of narrow waterways. Most of the island is dominated by the Vancouver Island Ranges, which are extensions of the Coast Ranges of Oregon and Washington. The highest peak is Golden Hinde (2,200 m/ 7,219 ft). In the southeast is a narrow, low-lying coastal plain that contains the island's major cities, Victoria (the provincial capital) and Nanaimo. The western coast of the island is indented by picturesque fjords.

Vancouver Island has a moist and mild climate, and much of it is heavily forested. The principal industries are lumbering, fishing (especially for salmon and herring), mining (chiefly for copper and iron ores), agriculture (dairy products, vegetables, and fruit), and tourism.

There were tribal villages on the island beginning several thousand years ago, and two groups, the Salishan and Wakashan, continue to live here. The British explorer Captain James Cook sighted the island in 1778. In 1792 it was surveyed by George Vancouver, the British explorer for whom it is named. In 1849 the island became a British crown colony, and in 1866 it was united administratively with British Columbia. This colony became a province of the Dominion of Canada in 1871. The pace of development accelerated with immigration in the early part of the 20th century.