200px, A wild beach on Flores Island Flores Island is a small island (approximately 155 km²) in

Clayoquot Sound , image = Clayoquot Sound - Near Tofino - Vancouver Island BC - Canada - 08.jpg , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = Vancouver clayoquot sound de.png , alt_bathyme ...

, off the west coast of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. The area of Marktosis (population around 900) holds the only major settlement on the island. Most residents are members of the

Ahousaht Ahousaht, also spelled Ahousat ( or )), is the principal settlement on Flores Island, in British Columbia, Canada. Accessible only by water or air, Ahousaht is a small community predominantly composed of First Nations people from the Nuu-chah-nul ...

nation (population around 2000) and form the largest part of the

Nuu-chah-nulth The Nuu-chah-nulth (; Nuučaan̓uł: ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifte ...

or Nootka

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. Some of the indigenous language is spoken though English is predominant. Residing within the

Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve situated in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. A diverse range of ecosystems exist within the biosphere reserve boundaries, including ...

, Flores holds one of the largest tracts of contiguous

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

on Vancouver Island. 41 km² of the island has been demarcated as the

Flores Island Marine Provincial Park Flores Island Marine Provincial Park, also known as Flores Island Provincial Park, is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located on the Flores Island (British Columbia), island of the same name in the central Clayoquot Sound region of ...

, 1.43 km² is the

Gibson Marine Provincial Park Gibson Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located on the southeast end of Flores Island in the central Clayoquot Sound region of Vancouver Island. The park was created on 13 November 1967. It contains approx ...

where hot springs are located at the southern banks of the Matilda Inlet, the Marktosis reservation is 1.2 km² and the rest is Crown Land. Flores Island was named in 1791 by

Francisco de Eliza Francisco de Eliza y Reventa (1759 – February 19, 1825) was a Spanish naval officer, navigator, and explorer. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest. He was the commandant of the Spanish post in Nootka Sound on Vancou ...

, in honor of

Manuel Antonio Flórez Manuel Antonio Flórez Maldonado Martínez Ángulo y BodquínReal Academia de la historiaDiccionario Bibliográfico español - Manuel Antonio Flórez/ref> (in full, ''Manuel Antonio Flórez Maldonado'') (May 27, 1723 in Seville, Spain – M ...

, the 51st

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

. The main industry is fishing with some tourism. Tourism is promoted through the ' Walk the Wild Side'

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trail and the addition of accommodation at the Aauuknuck Lodge. Cow Bay on the Western side of the Island has been voted as one of Canada's top ten beaches. The island can be reached by water-taxi or

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

from Tofino.

References

External links

*
- the wild side trail

Information of trail-running the Flores Island Wild Side Trail
Islands of British Columbia Clayoquot Sound region Landforms of Vancouver Island {{BritishColumbiaCoast-geo-stub

See also

References

External links