Queen Charlotte Strait

Queen Charlotte Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the rest of British Columbia in Canada. It connects Queen Charlotte Sound to Johnstone Strait and Discovery Passage. It also goes through them to connect Queen Charlotte Sound to the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound. It is part of the Inside Passage, which goes from Washington to Alaska.

Queen Charlotte Strait
French: Détroit de la Reine-Charlotte
A pilot boat plies Queen Charlotte Strait near Port Hardy
Queen Charlotte Strait
Queen Charlotte Strait is located southeast of Queen Charlotte Sound
Location	British Columbia
Coordinates	50°50′16″N 127°27′29″W
Type	Strait
Ocean/sea sources	Pacific Ocean
Settlements	Alert Bay, Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Sointula

Etymology

The Discovery shipwrecked in early August 1792 on rocks in Queen Charlotte Strait. Within a day the Chatham also hit rocks about two miles away.

James Strange named it Queen Charlotte Sound on August 5, 1786. He named it after Queen Charlotte. She was the wife of King George III.^[1] Queen Charlotte Strait was called Queen Charlotte Sound until 1920. In 1920, the BCGNIS and Hydrographic Service said that Queen Charlotte Sound and Queen Charlotte Strait were not the same.^[2]

Geography

According to the BC Geographical Names, the northern border of Queen Charlotte Strait is a line across Cape Sutil, at the north end of Vancouver Island, to Cape Caution on the mainland. The southern border of Queen Charlotte Strait is a group of narrow channels north and east of Malcolm Island.^[2]

References

1. Pethick, Derek (1976). First Approaches to the Northwest Coast. Vancouver: J.J. Douglas. pp. 81, 88. ISBN 0-88894-056-4.
2. "Queen Charlotte Strait". BC Geographical Names.