Facts about Vancouver Island
Wherever one travels throughout Vancouver Island, the First Nations’ unique heritage and legacies are evident.
The only vehicle access to Vancouver Island is via ferries; there are six vehicle ferry routes.
Marine transportation is very important to Vancouver Island because it is separated by water from the mainland of British Columbia and Washington State.
Vancouver Island is underlain by a mineral-rich batholith, from which iron, copper, and gold are mined.
When the colonies of Vancouver Island and the mainland colony of British Columbia combined in 1864, Douglas was knighted by Queen Victoria.
The E&N operated rail freight services on Vancouver Island, carrying forest products, coal, chemical and general freight from 1886 until 2001, when freight services ended.
After 18 months, Blanshard returned to England and James Douglas became governor of Vancouver Island.
Before the arrival and exploration of Europeans, the native peoples of Vancouver Island enjoyed plentiful supplies of food: deer, bear, elk, mountain goat, seal, and bountiful quantities of fish and shellfish.
The abundance of western red cedar and yellow cedar trees were an especially important resource for the aboriginal tribes of Vancouver Island and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Vancouver Island's fair and temperate climate makes it a year-round destination for recreational activities.
Today the combination of the First Nations people's history and tradition and the influences of European culture combine to create a unique heritage for Vancouver Island.
Vancouver Island's economy outside Victoria is largely dominated by the forestry industry, with tourism and fishing also playing a large role.
The island was further explored by Spain in 1789 by Esteban Josй Martнnez, who built Fort San Miguel on one of Vancouver Island's small offshore islets in the sound near Yuquot.
The island does contain Canada's only population of Roosevelt elk, however, and one species—the Vancouver Island marmot—is endemic to the region.
Vancouver Island's Beaufort Ranges, which run down most of the length of the island, are a significant factor in the islands climate differences.
Vancouver Island is located off Canada's Pacific coast and is part of the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Douglas' term as governor of Vancouver Island expired in 1863.
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 fauna of Vancouver Island is similar to that found on the mainland coast, with some notable exceptions and additions.
The British government then sent Richard Blanshard over as the first governor of Vancouver Island in 1851.