Queen Charlotte Islands
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Queen Charlotte Islands
Queen Charlotte Islands
an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, off the Canadian coast. It includes the islands of Graham, Moresby, Louise, Lyell, and Kunghit and covers an area of 10,282 sq km. The island group belongs to the outer chain of the Canadian Cordilleras, part of which is submerged. The western coasts of the islands are mountainous and fjorded, rising to an elevation of 1250 m. In the northeast there is a broad lowland into which the Masset Inlet deeply penetrates. The climate is mild and very humid. Coniferous forests cover the islands. There are deposits of coal.
Logging and fishing are the major industries. The population totals approximately 3,000 (1965), about 1,000 of it consisting of Indians on reservations. The largest community is the village of Queen Charlotte. The archipelago was discovered and put on the map in 1774 by the Spanish expedition of J. Perez; it was later named in honor of the British queen by G. Vancouver.