Vancouver Island

An island of southwest British Columbia, Canada, in the Pacific Ocean separated from the mainland by the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte Strait. The Strait of Juan de Fuca flows between the southern end of the island and the coastline of northwest Washington. First sighted by Spanish explorers in 1774 and visited by Capt. James Cook in 1778, it was named in honor of Capt. George Vancouver, who circumnavigated the island in 1792.