|
Geography Vancouver Island is roughly divided between a rugged, wet west coast and a drier, more rolling east coast by the Vancouver Island Ranges, which run down most of the length of the island. The highest point in these ranges and on the island is the Golden Hinde, at 2195 m. Located near the centre of Vancouver Island in the 250,000 ha Strathcona Provincial Park, it is part of a group of peaks that include the only glaciers on the island, the largest of which is the Comox Glacier. The west coast shoreline is rugged, and in many places mountainous, characterised by its many fjords, bays, and inlets. The interior of the island has many lakes (Kennedy Lake, northeast of Ucluelet, is the largest) and rivers. The rain shadow effect of the island's mountains, as well as the mountains of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, creates wide variation in precipitation. The west coast is considerably wetter than the east coast. Average annual precipitation ranges from 6,650 millimeters at Henderson Lake on the west coast (making it the wettest spot in North America) to only 635 millimeters at the driest recording station in the provincial capital of Victoria on the southeast coast's Saanich Peninsula. Precipitation is heaviest in the autumn and winter. Temperatures are fairly consistent along both coasts, however; winters are mild, and summers are cool to moderately warm, depending on location. The yearly average temperature hovers around 10°C (50°F). Snow is rare at low altitudes but is common on the island's mountaintops in winter. Vancouver Island lies in the temperate rainforest biome. On the southern and eastern portions of the island, this is characterized by Douglas-fir, western red cedar, arbutus, Garry oak, salal, Oregon-grape, and manzanita. This is the heavily populated region of Vancouver Island, and a major area for recreation. The northern, western, and most of the central portions of the island are home to the coniferous "big trees" associated with British Columbia's coast — hemlock, western red cedar, amabilis fir, yellow cedar, Douglas-fir, grand fir, Sitka spruce, and western white pine. It is also characterised by broadleaf maple, red alder, sword fern, and red huckleberry. The fauna of Vancouver Island is similar to that found on the mainland coast, with some notable exceptions and additions. For example, grizzly bear, porcupine, moose, and coyote, while plentiful on the mainland, are absent from Vancouver Island. The island does contain Canada's only population of Roosevelt elk, however, and one species — the Vancouver Island Marmot — is endemic to the region. The island's rivers, lakes, and coastal regions are renowned for their fisheries of trout, salmon, and steelhead. It has the most concentrated population of cougars in North America. Although, highly debated, Sasquatch is said to inhabit the remote pockets of the island as well. Native Settlement The island has been inhabited by humans for some eight thousand years. By the late 1700s, the primary First Nations there were the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) on the west coast, various nations of the Salish language group on the south and east coasts, and the Kwakiutl on the centre and north of the island. The National Maps show a nation of Vancouver consisting of the island and the mainland coastal regions from Queen Charlotte Sound to Cape Flattery. European Exploration Europeans began to encroach on the island in 1774, when rumours of Russian fur traders caused the Spanish to send a ship, the Santiago north under the command of Juan José Pérez Hernández. In 1775 a second Spanish expedition, under Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, was sent. Neither actually landed. Vancouver Island came to the attention of the wider world after the third voyage of Captain James Cook, who landed at Nootka Sound of the Island's western shore on March 31, 1778 and claimed it for the United Kingdom. The island's rich fur trading potential led the British East India Company to set up a single-building trading post in the native village of Yuquot on Nootka Island, a small island in the Sound. The island was further explored by Spain in 1789 by Esteban José Martínez, who built Fort San Miguel on one of Vancouver Island's small offshore islets in the sound near Yuquot. This was to be the only Spanish settlement in what would later be Canada. The Spanish began seizing British ships and the two nations came close to war, but the issues were resolved peacefully with the Nootka Convention in 1792, in which both countries recognized the other's rights to the area. Supervising the British activities was Captain George Vancouver from King's Lynn in England, who had sailed as a midshipman with Cook, and from whom the island gained its name. British settlement The first British settlement on the island was a Hudson's Bay Company post, Fort Camosun, founded in 1843, and later renamed Fort Victoria. Shortly thereafter, in 1846, the Oregon Treaty was signed by the British and Americans to settle the question of the Oregon Territory borders. It awarded all of Vancouver Island to the British, despite a portion of the island lying south of the 49th parallel. In 1848, the Colony of Vancouver Island was established. Following the brief governorship of Richard Blanshard, James Douglas, Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay post, assumed the role in 1851 — a position he would maintain for the next thirteen years. Fort Victoria became an important base during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858, and the burgeoning town was incorporated as Victoria in 1862. Victoria became the capital of the colony of Vancouver Island, then retained that status when the island was amalgamated with the mainland in 1866. A British naval base was established at Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1865, and eventually taken over by the Canadian military. The economic situation of the colony declined following the Cariboo Gold Rush of 1861-62, and pressure grew for amalgamation of the colony with the mainland colony of British Columbia (which had been established in 1858). The colony's third and last governor, Sir Arthur Kennedy oversaw the union of the two colonies in 1866. Economy Vancouver Island's economy outside Victoria is largely dominated by the forestry industry, with tourism and fishing also playing a large role. Many of the logging operations are for paper pulp, in "2nd growth" tree farms that are harvested approximately every 30 years. In recent years the government of British Columbia has engaged in an advertising program to draw more tourists to beach resorts such as Tofino. Logging operations involving old-growth forests such as those found on Clayoquot Sound are controversial, and have gained international attention through the efforts of activists and environmental organizations. There are rapidly expanding vineyards and the island produces wines that outscored the best French wines at the St. Catharines Wine Tasting of 2005 in blind evaluations. Between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland there are several high voltage power cables (HVDC Vancouver-Island). There is also a rather fast building IT field on Vancouver Island. High Speed Internet is delivered to the island from Shaw, Telus, CRTV and CRCN. There are also many information sites such as: VancouverIslandLive.com and Vancouver Island Travel. Wireless Internet connections can be found all over the island, many free for public use. Most coffee shops allow free laptop use and charge an average of five cents a minute for using their computers. Higher education plays an economic role in the Greater Victoria area, with two universities (University of Victoria and Royal Roads University) as well as Camosun College, with its several campuses. Marine transportation Marine transportation is very important to Vancouver Island because it is separated by water from the mainland of British Columbia and Washington. There are no bridges connecting the island to the mainland, although the idea of building one has been brought up many times. The only vehicle access to Vancouver Island is via ferries operated by BC Ferries, Washington State Ferry and Black Ball Transport Inc. There are six vehicle ferry routes: BC Ferries Crossing time: 1 hour 35 minutes; 8 sailings per day in the fall, winter, and spring and more in summer Crossing time: 2 hours; 8 round trips daily Crossing time: 1 hour 35 minutes; Sailings every 2 hours with extra sailings during the summer and holidays Crossing time: 1 hour 20 minutes; 4 round trips daily Washington State Ferries Crossing time: 3 hours (not counting stops in the San Juan Islands) Black Ball Transport Crossing time: 1 hour 30 minutes; 1 or 2 round trips daily In addition, there are three passenger-only ferry services from the mainland to Vancouver Island: Victoria Clipper Crossing time: 2 hour 45 minutes; 1 to 3 round trips daily Victoria Express Crossing time: 1 hour Victoria San Juan Cruises Crossing time: 3 hours Rail transportation The last remaining rail service on Vancouver Island is VIA Rail's Malahat, a tourist passenger train service operating on the E&N Railway between Victoria and Courtenay. The E&N operated rail freight services on Vancouver Island, carrying wood, coal, chemical and general freight from 1886 until 2001, when freight services ended. The Forest Discovery Centre just north of Duncan operates a small narrow-gauge steam railway. The abandoned railway line west of the provincial capital, Victoria, has been converted into the Galloping Goose cycle path. Road transportation Vancouver Island is one of the few places in North America where double-deck buses are used in the regular public transit system. They are part of the Greater Victoria bus service. As Victoria, the capital and Island's largest city, continues to grow, traffic will also be a concern. The notorious rush-hour "Colwood Crawl" has not been alleviated by efforts to improve road transit between Victoria and the Western Communities, and with the developement of new housing and business such as the Bear Mountain golf resort, the bottleneck in traffic is sure to be a concern for years to come. Air transportation Major airports on Vancouver Island include Victoria International Airport, near Sidney; and the Comox Valley Airport, situated at CFB Comox. There also several minor air terminals, near Campbell River, Nanaimo and Port Alberni. See also | ||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||
 |
|
| |