Moresby Island ( hai, Gwaii Haanas) is a large island () that forms part of the

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Hecat ...

archipelago (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands) in

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 Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, located at . It is separated by the narrow

Skidegate Channel Skidegate Channel is a strait located in the Haida Gwaii archipelago of British Columbia, Canada. It divides the archipelago's two main islands, Graham Island to the north and Moresby Island to the south. Geography Skidegate Channel is a located ...

from the other principal island of the group to the north, Graham Island.

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area, and Haida Heritage Site, usually referred to simply as Gwaii Haanas (), is located in southernmost Haida Gwaii (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands), off the mainland of ...

includes Moresby and other islands. The island, together with numerous nearby smaller islands and islets in the southern archipelago, is defined by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

as Skeena-Queen Charlotte E (Now North Coast Regional District Area E), with a population of 340 as of the 2016 census. Almost all of its population resided in the unincorporated community of Sandspit, on the northeast corner of Moresby. The total land area of the electoral area is . Tasu Mountain View - panoramio

Moresby Island is the 175th largest island in the world, and the 32nd largest island in Canada. On October 27, 2012, an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

of magnitude 7.7 (the strongest earthquake in Canada since the 1949 Queen Charlotte Islands earthquake) was epicentred at a depth of under the island.U.S. Geological Survey
October 28, 2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake

Name

Moresby Island is named for Rear Admiral

Fairfax Moresby Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby GCB (29 November 1786 – 21 January 1877) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he took part in the unsuccessful expedition to capture Ferrol in Spain during the French Revolutionary Wars. He ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, as is the smaller Moresby Island in the Gulf Islands. The traditional name in the

Haida language Haida (', ', ', ') is the language of the Haida people, spoken in the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of Canada and on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. An endangered language, Haida currently has 24 native speakers, though revitalizatio ...

is Gwaii Haanas, which is the source of the national park name.

References

{{reflist

External links

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Community Profile: Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District Electoral Area E, British Columbia; Statistics Canada
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Sandspit unincorporated place, Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District Electoral Area E, British Columbia; Statistics Canada
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Islands of Haida Gwaii