Strait of Georgia

The Strait of Georgia, also called the Georgia Strait, forms part of the Salish Sea. It lies between Vancouver Island and the southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia in Canada, as well as the northwestern mainland coast of Washington in the United States. The waterway stretches roughly 240 kilometers in length, with a width that ranges from 20 to 58 kilometers. It is one of three main bodies of water—along with the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound—that together make up the Salish Sea.

At both ends of the strait, archipelagos and narrow channels define the geography. To the south lie the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands; to the north are the Discovery Islands. The southern connections to the Strait of Juan de Fuca run through Boundary Pass, Haro Strait, and Rosario Strait. In the north, Discovery Passage links the Strait of Georgia to Johnstone Strait. Because of the Port of Vancouver and its role as the southern gateway to the Inside Passage, the strait serves as a major navigation route on North America’s west coast.

The United States Geological Survey sets the strait’s southern boundary along a line from East Point on Saturna Island, passing Patos Island, Sucia Island, and Matia Island, then to Point Midgley on Lummi Island. This line touches the northern edges of Rosario Strait and Boundary Pass. The strait’s average depth is 156 meters, and its surface area covers about 6,800 square kilometers. At its deepest point, the Ballenas Basin reaches 420 meters roughly 15 kilometers north of Nanaimo. The Fraser River supplies approximately 80 percent of the freshwater entering the strait, and water circulates in a generally counterclockwise direction.

Several major islands lie within the strait. Texada Island, at 300.45 square kilometers, is the largest. Others include Nelson Island, Denman Island, Lasqueti Island, and Hornby Island.

The term “Gulf of Georgia” has a broader meaning than the Strait of Georgia proper. It includes the inter-insular straits and channels of the Gulf Islands and may refer to communities on the shore of southern Vancouver Island. When George Vancouver defined it in 1792, the Gulf of Georgia encompassed all inland waters east of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, including Puget Sound, Bellingham Bay, the waters around the San Juan Islands, and the Strait of Georgia itself.

First Nations peoples have lived around the Strait of Georgia for thousands of years. The first European to explore the area was Captain Jose Maria Narvaez, along with Pilot Juan Carrasco of Spain, in 1791. At that time, Francisco de Eliza named the strait “Gran Canal de Nuestra Señora del Rosario la Marinera.” In 1792, George Vancouver of Great Britain renamed it the “Gulf of Georgia” in honor of King George III, during his expedition along the west coast. Vancouver designated the mainland in this region as New Georgia and areas farther north as New Hanover and New Bremen.

On June 23, 1946, a major earthquake on Vancouver Island shook the region, causing the bottom of Deep Bay to sink between 3 and 26 meters. The two busiest BC Ferries routes cross the strait: one between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, and another between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo. The strait is known as a premier location for scuba diving and whale watching. In 1967, the name “Georgia Strait” inspired Vancouver’s alternative newspaper, *The Georgia Straight*, which has been published continuously since.

Towns and cities along the western shore include Campbell River, Courtenay, Comox, Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Lantzville, and Nanaimo. On the eastern shore lie Powell River, Sechelt, Gibsons, and Greater Vancouver. Across the U.S. border, Bellingham, Washington, and other communities sit on the eastern shore. Some settlements on Vancouver Island, such as Duncan, and on the mainland are separated from the strait itself by islands and smaller straits but are often considered part of the Strait of Georgia region.

BC Ferries runs services connecting Vancouver Island with the mainland, including routes from Duke Point to Tsawwassen, Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay, and Little River to Westview. Smaller ferry operators and water taxis serve the minor islands scattered across the strait.

In March 2008, the Chemainus First Nation proposed renaming the strait the “Salish Sea.” B.C.’s Aboriginal Relations Minister Mike de Jong expressed approval and pledged to bring the idea before the provincial cabinet. Making the name official required a formal application to the Geographical Names Board of Canada. A parallel American movement promoted a different definition, combining the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and the Strait of Georgia under the name Salish Sea. This latter definition was made official in 2009 by geographic boards in both Canada and the United States. In October 2009, the Washington State Board of Geographic Names approved the Salish Sea toponym as a collective term for all three bodies of water, not as a replacement for their individual names. The British Columbia Geographical Names Office passed a resolution recommending that the name be adopted by the Geographical Names Board of Canada only if its U.S. counterpart approved the change.