King Island is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

on the

Coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

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, ...

. It is located south of

Dean Channel Dean Channel is the upper end of one of the longest inlets of the British Columbia Coast, from its head at the mouth of the Kimsquit River. The Dean River, one of the main rivers of the Coast Mountains, enters Dean Channel about below the head ...

and about east of Bella Bella. A number of other islands separate King Island from the open sea of Queen Charlotte Sound. King Island is separated from the mainland by Dean Channel to the north,

Burke Channel Burke Channel is a channel in the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, separating the south and east coasts of King Island from the mainland. It was first charted in 1792 by James Johnstone, one of George Vancouver's ...

to the south, and Labouchere Channel to the east. Fisher Channel, essentially an extension of Dean Channel, separates King Island from several islands to the west, including Denny Island and Hunter Island. Fisher Channel and Burke Channel join at the southern end of King Island, becoming

Fitz Hugh Sound Fitz Hugh Sound, sometimes spelled Fitzhugh Sound, is a sound on the British Columbia Coast of Canada, located between Calvert Island and the mainland. Etymology Fitz Hugh Sound was given its name in 1785 by James Hanna, the first non-indigenous ...

. In the

Nuxalk language Nuxalk , also known as Bella Coola , is a Salishan language spoken by the Nuxalk people. Today, it is an endangered language with only 3 fluent speakers in the vicinity of the Canadian town of Bella Coola, British Columbia. While the language is ...

the island's name is Nuxalknalus, "centre of Nuxalk Territory". King Island is in area, making it the seventh largest island in British Columbia.Sea Islands
, The Atlas of Canada King Island was named in 1793 by

George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...

, in honor of the family of Captain James King, under whom Vancouver had served as a midshipman on the ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

'' during the latter part of the third voyage of

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

and Raphoe Point was named after James King (1715–1795), Dean of Raphoe.

References

Islands of British Columbia Central Coast of British Columbia Nuxalk {{BritishColumbiaCoast-geo-stub

See also

References