Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca | |
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![]() Sentinel-2 image of the Strait of Juan de Fuca | |
Location | British Columbia and Washington |
Coordinates | 48°13′30″N 123°33′30″W / 48.22500°N 123.55833°W |
Type | Strait |
Part of | Salish Sea |
Basin countries | Canada and United States |
Max. length | 96 mi (83 nmi; 154 km) |
Max. width | 12 to 25 mi (10 to 22 nmi; 19 to 40 km) |
Average depth | 100 m (330 ft)[1] |
The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada)[2] is a body of water about 96 miles (83 nmi; 154 km) long[3] that is the Salish Sea's main outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the centre of the Strait.
It was named in 1787 by the maritime fur trader Charles William Barkley, captain of Imperial Eagle, for Juan de Fuca, the Greek navigator who sailed in a Spanish expedition in 1592 to seek the fabled Strait of Anián. Barkley was the first non-indigenous person to find the strait, unless Juan de Fuca's story was true.[4] The strait was explored in detail between 1789 and 1791 by Manuel Quimper, José María Narváez, Juan Carrasco, Gonzalo López de Haro, and Francisco de Eliza.
Definition
The
Climate
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Strait_of_San_Juan_de_Fuca_sunset.jpg/220px-Strait_of_San_Juan_de_Fuca_sunset.jpg)
Like the rest of the Salish Sea and surrounding regions, the climate of the Strait is disputed, with the
Because it is exposed to the generally westerly winds and waves of the Pacific, seas and weather in Juan de Fuca Strait are, on average, rougher than in the more protected waters inland, thereby resulting in a number of
Ferries
An international vehicle ferry, the
Boundary dispute
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/The_Olympian_Range%2C_from_Esquimalt_%28HS85-10-11325%29.jpg/220px-The_Olympian_Range%2C_from_Esquimalt_%28HS85-10-11325%29.jpg)
This strait remains the subject of a maritime boundary dispute between Canada and the United States. The dispute is only over the seaward boundary extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) west from the mouth of the strait. The maritime boundary within the strait is not in dispute. Both governments have proposed a boundary based on the principle of equidistance, but with different basepoint selections, resulting in small differences in the line. Resolution of the issue should be simple, but has been hindered because it might influence other unresolved maritime boundary issues between Canada and the United States.[10] In addition, the government of British Columbia has rejected both equidistant proposals, instead arguing that the Juan de Fuca submarine canyon is the appropriate "geomorphic and physiogeographic boundary".[11] The proposed equidistant boundary currently marks the northern boundary of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. British Columbia's position is based on the principle of natural prolongation which developed in international law. It poses a dilemma for the federal government of Canada. If Canada holds that the principle of natural prolongation applies to the Juan de Fuca Canyon on its Pacific Ocean coast, the assertion could undermine Canada's argument in the Gulf of Maine boundary dispute. In this Atlantic Ocean context, Canada favours an outcome based on the principle of equidistance.[12][13]
Salish Sea
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Strait_of_Juan_de_Fuca_Olympic_Peninsula.jpg/220px-Strait_of_Juan_de_Fuca_Olympic_Peninsula.jpg)
In March 2008, the
In October 2009, the Washington State Board of Geographic Names approved the Salish Sea toponym, not to replace the names of the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, and Strait of Juan de Fuca, but instead as a collective term for all three.[16] The British Columbia Geographical Names Office passed a resolution only recommending that the name be adopted by the Geographical Names Board of Canada, should its US counterpart approve the name-change.[16][17][18] The United States Board on Geographic Names approved the name on November 12, 2009.[19]
Counties and regional districts
Counties along the Strait of Juan de Fuca:
- Clallam County, Washington
- Jefferson County, Washington
- Island County, Washington
- Skagit County, Washington
- San Juan County, Washington
Regional districts along the Strait of Juan de Fuca:
- Capital Regional District, British Columbia
- Cowichan Valley Regional District
Fauna
Certain groups of seabirds called common murre migrate north by swimming. Some Pacific Coast murres paddle north to the sheltered bays of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to feed on herring and other small fish.
See also
- Graveyard of the Pacific
- Juan de Fuca Canyon
- List of areas disputed by the United States and Canada
- Marilyn Bell
- Oregon boundary dispute
- Race Rocks Marine Protected Area
- Pig War (San Juan Islands Dispute)
- Swinomish Channel
- Strait of Juan de Fuca laser incident
References
- ^ "Nautical Charts Online - View details of Chart 18400, Strait of Georgia and Strait of Juan de Fuca". www.nauticalchartsonline.com. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
- ^ "Juan de Fuca Strait". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Strait of Juan de Fuca
- ISBN 0-88894-279-6. It is well established that Meares tried to take credit for much of Barkley's work.
- ^ "SEQUIM 2 E, WASHINGTON".
- ^ Watts, Richard (December 30, 2016). "At 57, dependable Coho sails on". Times Colonist. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ Duffy, Andrew (June 21, 2019). "Coho starts summer schedule, 4 sailings a day". Times Colonist. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jackson, Kristin (February 11, 2012). "How to travel between Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver, B.C." The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ISBN 978-90-04-14461-3.
- ^ The Alaska Boundary Dispute: History and International Law Archived 2008-12-18 at the Wayback Machine, by Tony Fogarassy, page 3; citing Office of the Premier, Province of British Columbia, Submission of the Province of British Columbia on West Coast Maritime Boundaries Between Canada and the United States (1977). A map of the Juan de Fuca Canyon is available at Map of Known Deep Corals in and around the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA Ocean Explorer
- ISBN 978-0-7748-0346-5.
- ISBN 978-0-7923-0862-1.
- ^ "Strait of Georgia could be renamed Salish Sea". Canadian Press. CBC.ca. 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ISBN 978-1-55017-804-3.
- ^ a b "STATE BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES APPROVES 'SALISH SEA'". 2009-10-30. Archived from the original on 2013-10-30.
- ^ "Washington state adopts "Salish Sea" name for body of water including Strait of Georgia, Carlito Pablo, Georgia Straight, October 30, 2009". 30 October 2009.
- ^ Berger, Knute (October 20, 2009). "Smooth Sailing for the Salish Sea?". Crosscut. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ Berger, Knute (November 12, 2009). "U.S. approves Salish Sea name". Crosscut. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "Olympic coast whales". My Olympic Park. 24 December 2020.
External links
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