Where is Vancouver Island located? In the west of Canada. Coordinates: 49 ° 36′32 ″ north latitude, 125 ° 38′52 ″ west longitude. This region is part of British Columbia. This island is one of the most popular tourist destinations around the world. A lot of travelers want to go there. Indeed, according to official figures, of all the islands on Earth, Vancouver is in third place in the ranking of popularity. Such a love of tourists for him is no coincidence. Indeed, in these places a very mild climate. In winter, there is practically no frost. In summer, the average temperature is 20 ° C. Thanks to such a fortunate combination of circumstances, in Vancouver you can play golf year-round. This is not possible anywhere else in Canada.
A bit of history
Vancouver Island, a photo of which is presented in the article, is part of a province called British Columbia, which became part of Canada in 1871. At the end of the 18th century, expeditions from the British and Spaniards were simultaneously equipped on the island. In the end, this led to quite logical disagreements. Each side pulled a blanket over itself. Two pioneers, George Vancouver and Juan Cuadra, wanted to give their name to the found land. By that time, relations between the parties had already heated up to the limit. The Spaniards built a fortified settlement and attacked British ships. As a result, it was decided to hold peace talks in order to avoid an increase in the number of victims. Unfortunately, the meeting practically did not lead to anything. But at the end of the land they got a peculiar name - "Vancouver Island and Cuadra."
Time passed, and the influence of the Spaniards in those places was becoming less and less significant. As a result, in the next century, Vancouver Island received its modern name. Interestingly, during the conflict of the parties, the Spaniard, not interested in dividing the land, was able to completely circumnavigate this part of the land by sea.
In the middle of the XIX century, the island began to belong to Britain, a colony appeared there. Its capital was the city of Victoria. But closer to the XX century, having lost its significance, the colony became part of British Columbia.
Characteristic
Vancouver Island, whose area is almost 32 thousand square meters. km, washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The entire west coast is influenced by its waters. In many ways, the climate on the island is formed under the influence of currents and air masses in this area. The eastern side of the land is washed by the Strait of Georgia. But in the south - the waters of another water area. This is the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It separates Washington State and Vancouver Island, and the Johnstone Strait connects to the Pacific Ocean.
Once Vancouver was inhabited only by Indians living in small villages. Now about 800 thousand people live here. The largest settlement is the beautiful city of Victoria.
East and west of the island
A tourist who decides to come to Vancouver Island (Canada) will discover a stunning array of amazing natural monuments along the west coast. It is very different from the east. At least the fact that the area is much denser populated in the east. While in the west you can observe pristine virgin nature. Civilization there ends almost completely. It is on the west coast that the large Pacific Rim National Park is located. The coast, cut by the fjords, became the last marina of many cargo ships. They broke on the rocks, trying to get to the ports.
National park
The national park is now partially equipped to facilitate the passage of hiking trails. For example, on the most popular walking trail, stairs and even suspension bridges began to appear, making it possible to quickly cross from one edge of the gorge to the other. Thanks to such innovations, the trail can now be completed faster. Such a trip will take a group of tourists about a week. The route is called West Cost Trail. To get there, people sign up a couple of years in advance. Such entertainment will not be an easy walk. Those who dare to set foot on the trail require extensive experience hiking in various categories and excellent physical fitness. But the views that will surround travelers are worth the effort. There will be an ancient forest, beaches and many marine animals around.
Offers for tourists
For those who do not like this kind of extreme sports, they can come to those parts for 2 or 3 days, staying at a hotel on the ocean. For guests of the coast excursions on pleasure boats are carried out. From them, visitors will be able to observe a colony of humpback whales or killer whales. A route of migration of marine mammals passes through this area. Particular sensations are caused by the sun sliding down the sky into the endless expanse of water. And somewhere there, over thousands of kilometers, are the islands of Japan, the Kuril ridge and Sakhalin.
The development of the economy on the island
The economy of Vancouver mainly relies on the extraction of natural resources. Basically, this, of course, is logging. All of Canada is famous for its vast forests. Vancouver Island is far from an exception to this rule. It is there that the ancient forests that were still in the original British Columbia are still preserved. They remained in impassable corners of the island. The highest Sitka spruce in Canada grows in Vancouver, reaching a height of 95 meters. She and her kindred trees were able to grow to such heights thanks to the surprisingly favorable climate for them.
In addition to forest products, Vancouver Island supplies fish to many regions of the country. Salmon are bred on special fish farms. Different types of marine life are caught right in the open ocean. After that, the catch is processed. Sell these products nationwide.
As already mentioned, tourism is also popular on the island. Vancouver receives a fairly large part of the budget precisely from those who come there to travel and relax.
Briefly about the capital - the city of Victoria
The capital of British Columbia, the city of Victoria, makes its rather large contribution to securing the island. There is a well-developed high-tech industry - pharmaceuticals and microelectronics. City scientists have also excelled in oceanology. But despite all this, tourism is of great importance to Victoria. About 4 million people come to the city every year.
Victoria is interesting for tourists because it is considered the most British city. On its streets there are red double-decker buses, which managed to become the symbol of London. The architecture of the center is exactly the style of old England. The city has a magnificent promenade, which is always decorated with flowers. The central square at five o’clock even serves the famous traditional English tea.
Now about 80 thousand people live in Victoria. He owes his British nature to the many elderly Englishmen who flocked to this city from year to year. Perhaps they were attracted by the climate of these places. Due to its location, it is the warmest city in Canada. In total, about 350 thousand people live in the metropolitan region, while 760 thousand live on the entire island.
To summarize
The island of Vancouver in general and the city of Victoria in particular will surprise and please the adventurer and anyone who is just looking for a good place to relax. The experience of many generations shows that these places are very good in order to spend time calmly and interestingly after retirement.