Queen Charlotte Islands

Queen Charlotte Islands, archipelago in western British Columbia, Canada, in the Pacific Ocean, separated from the mainland by Hecate Strait. The group includes two large islands, Graham Island and Moresby Island, and about 150 small islands. Extending about 280 km (175 mi) from north to south, the islands have an area of 9,596 sq km (3,705 sq mi). Bordered by Queen Charlotte Sound to the south, Hecate Strait to the east, and the Dixon Entrance to the north, the Queen Charlotte Islands enjoy mild weather due to the moderating effect of the warm ocean currents streaming around the archipelago. Unlike most of Canada, the Charlottes escaped glaciation almost entirely, and as a result have a variety of vegetation and wildlife that can only be found there or in distant locations such as Japan, including large numbers of resting seabirds.

Archaeological evidence indicates that humans inhabited the islands at least 6,000 years ago. Most early residents of the islands were employed in logging, fishing, or mining. Now, the mostly Haida Native American population engages in fishing and subsistence farming. More recently, the islands have been visited by increasing numbers of scientists and tourists, who come to see the wildlife and remaining Haida totem poles, and to enjoy the islands' mountain scenery, forests, beaches, and hot springs. In the mid-1980s, the islands were the focus of a controversial struggle between logging interests and the Haida. In 1987, an agreement was reached turning the 138 islands at the southern end of the archipelago (known as South Moresby) into Gwaii Haanas/South Moresby National Park Reserve. In 1981, Anthony Island, near the southern tip of the archipelago, was declared a United Nations World Heritage Site, for the large collection of Haida totem poles and ceremonial houses in the now-abandoned village of Ninstints (Nans Dins).

The first Europeans to visit the islands were the Spanish Captain Juan Pérez in 1774 and the British explorer James Cook in 1778. The Queen Charlotte Islands were named after the ship of Captain George Dixon, who surveyed them for the Royal Navy in 1787. The main settlement is Massett, on Graham Island. Population (1986) 3,368.