Broughton Archipelago is a group of islands located at the eastern end of
Queen Charlotte Strait in
Mount Waddington Regional District,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. The archipelago is the traditional territory of the
Musgamagw Dzawada'enuxw,
Namgis,
Ma'amtagila and
Tlowitsis nations of the
Kwakwaka'wakw peoples.
Etymology
Broughton Archipelago was named in 1792 by
George Vancouver
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...
in honour of
William Robert Broughton
William Robert Broughton (22 March 176214 March 1821) was a British naval officer in the late 18th century. As a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, he commanded HMS ''Chatham'' as part of the Vancouver Expedition, a voyage of exploration through t ...
, the captain of the expedition's second ship,
''HMS Chatham''.
Geography
The Broughton Archipelago includes numerous islands and islets scattered throughout the eastern end of
Queen Charlotte Strait. The largest island of the archipelago is
Gilford Island
Gilford Island is an island in British Columbia, Canada, between Tribune Channel and Knight Inlet. It has an area of . Turnour Island is to its south, across Tribune Channel; and the entrance to Thompson Sound is to its east.
Port Elizabet ...
with a total area of .
is the most densely populated island with 270 residents/km
2 (710 residents/mi
2) as of 2016.
The major islands of the Broughton Archipelago are as follows:
*
Baker Island
Baker Island, once known as New Nantucket in the early 19th century, is a small, uninhabited atoll located just north of the Equator in the central Pacific Ocean, approximately southwest of Honolulu. Positioned almost halfway between Hawaii a ...
*
Bonwick Island
*
Broughton Island
*
Cormorant Island
*
Crease Island
*
East Cracroft Island
*
Eden Island
*
Gilford Island
Gilford Island is an island in British Columbia, Canada, between Tribune Channel and Knight Inlet. It has an area of . Turnour Island is to its south, across Tribune Channel; and the entrance to Thompson Sound is to its east.
Port Elizabet ...
*
Hanson Island
*
Harbledown Island
*
Malcolm Island
*
Midsummer Island
*
Minstrel Island
*
North Broughton Island
*
Swanson Island
*
Turnour Island
*
Village Island
*
Viscount Island
*
Watson Island
*
West Cracroft Island
Major waterways
Major waterways include
Beware Passage,
Broughton Strait,
Clio Channel,
Fife Sound,
Johnstone Strait,
Kingcome Inlet,
Knight Inlet,
Retreat Passage,
Tribune Channel, and
Wells Passage.
Conservation
The archipelago is rich in biodiversity and culturally significant sites. Protected areas include
Broughton Archipelago Conservancy,
Broughton Archipelago Provincial Park,
Burdwood Group Conservancy,
Cormorant Channel Marine Provincial Park,
Echo Bay Marine Provincial Park, and
Qwiquallaaq/Boat Bay Conservancy.
See also
*
Discovery Islands
The Discovery Islands are a group of islands located at the northern end of the Salish Sea and the eastern end of Johnstone Strait, between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada.
Most of these islands have very ...
References
External links
Broughton Archipelago sea lice study by Morton, Routledge, Peet and Ladwig
Central Coast of British Columbia
Archipelagoes of British Columbia
Kwakwaka'wakw
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