Editing Vancouver Island (section)

==Geography{{Anchor|Southern Vancouver Island |Northern Vancouver Island |North Vancouver Island |North Vancouver Island |Central Island|Mid-Island}}==
[[File:Vancouver Island Map-fr.svg|thumb|right|260px|Topographic map of Vancouver Island]]
Vancouver Island is located in the southwestern corner of the province of British Columbia. It is separated from the mainland of British Columbia by [[Johnstone Strait]] and [[Queen Charlotte Strait]] on the north and northeast, and by the [[Strait of Georgia]] on the southeast, which along with the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] along its southwest separate it from the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Vancouver Island British Columbia |url=https://new.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com/about/about-vancouver-island/ |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122031012/https://www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com/about/about-vancouver-island/ |url-status=live }}</ref> West of the island is the open Pacific Ocean, while to its north is [[Queen Charlotte Sound (Canada)|Queen Charlotte Sound]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vancouver Island {{!}} History & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Vancouver-Island |access-date=2022-02-12 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227034456/https://www.britannica.com/place/Vancouver-Island |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Strait of Georgia|Straits of Georgia]] and [[Strait of Juan de Fuca|Juan de Fuca]] are now officially part of the [[Salish Sea]], which also includes [[Puget Sound]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-12-04 |title=B.C. waters officially renamed Salish Sea – British Columbia – CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-waters-officially-renamed-salish-sea-1.909504 |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204083146/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-waters-officially-renamed-salish-sea-1.909504 |archive-date=4 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Vancouver Island Ranges]] run most of the length of the island, dividing it into a wet and rugged west coast and a drier, more rolling east coast. The highest point in these ranges and on the island is the [[Golden Hinde (mountain)|Golden Hinde]], at {{cvt|2195|m}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-10-20 |title=Cordilleran Geoscience – Island mountains and sea floor |url=http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/cordgeo/insular_e.php |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020010959/http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/cordgeo/insular_e.php |archive-date=20 October 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Located near the centre of Vancouver Island in {{cvt|2500|km2}} [[Strathcona Provincial Park]], it is part of a group of peaks that include the only glaciers on the island, the largest of which is the [[Comox Glacier]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Environment |first=Ministry of |title=Strathcona Provincial Park – BC Parks |url=https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/strath/#:~:text=Strathcona%20Provincial%20Park,%20designated%20in,with%20snow%20%E2%80%93%20dominate%20the%20park. |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=bcparks.ca |archive-date=2022-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312145455/https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/strath/#:~:text=Strathcona%20Provincial%20Park,%20designated%20in,with%20snow%20%E2%80%93%20dominate%20the%20park. |url-status=live }}</ref> The west coast shoreline is rugged and in many places mountainous, characterized by its many [[fjord]]s, bays, and inlets. The interior of the island has many lakes ([[Kennedy Lake (Vancouver Island)|Kennedy Lake]], north of [[Ucluelet]], is the largest) and rivers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Forests |first=Lands |title=West Coast – Province of British Columbia |url=https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/cumulative-effects-framework/regional-assessments/west-coast |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=www2.gov.bc.ca |archive-date=2022-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124063221/https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/cumulative-effects-framework/regional-assessments/west-coast |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[49th parallel north]] crosses the island just north of [[Ladysmith, British Columbia|Ladysmith]] on the east and Ucluelet on the west, while the [[50th parallel north]] passes through Campbell River.

{{Anchor|Southern Vancouver Island |Northern Vancouver Island |North Vancouver Island |North Vancouver Island |Central Island|Mid-Island}}
'''Southern Vancouver Island''' is typically considered to refer to the area south of [[Courtenay, British Columbia|Courtenay]], while '''Northern Vancouver Island''', or the northern region of the island, begins in the area an hour north of [[Campbell River, British Columbia|Campbell River]] towards [[Sayward]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-06 |title=North Island |url=https://vancouverisland.travel/regions/north-island/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Tourism Vancouver Island |language=en-US}}</ref> Those cities and the area between Southern and Northern Vancouver Island, such as [[Nanaimo]], [[Parksville, British Columbia|Parksville]], [[Qualicum Beach]], [[Deep Bay, British Columbia|Deep Bay]], and [[Port Alberni]], make up the Central Island region".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Central Island Region |url=https://www.discovervancouverisland.com/regions/central-island/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Discover Vancouver Island |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Lakes===
{{Cmn|colwidth=12em|rules=yes|

* [[Amedroz Lake]]
* [[Angus Lake]]
* [[Arum Lake]]
* [[Beaufort Lake]]
* [[Bewlay Lake]]
* [[Brewster Lake]]
* [[Buttle Lake]]
* [[Cameron Lake (British Columbia)|Cameron Lake]]
* [[Capes Lake]]
* [[Comox Lake]]
* [[Cowichan Lake]]
* [[Darlington Lake]]
* [[Elk Lake (British Columbia)|Elk Lake]]
* [[Elsie Lake]]
* [[Forbush Lake]]
* [[Globe Flower Lake]]
* [[Great Central Lake]]
* [[Hellebore Lake]]
* [[Horne Lake]]
* [[Hucuktlis Lake]]
* [[John Hart Lake]]
* [[Kennedy Lake (Vancouver Island)|Kennedy Lake]]
* [[Kildonan Lake]]
* [[Kim Lake]]
* [[Lake Beautiful]]
* [[Lake Helen Mackenzie]]
* [[Lizard Lake (Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island)|Lizard Lake (Capital Regional District)]]
* [[Lizard Lake (Vancouver Island)|Lizard Lake (Williams Creek)]]
* [[Lower Campbell Lake]]
* [[Nahmint Lake]]
* [[Nanaimo Lakes]]
* [[Nimpkish Lake]]
* [[Nitinat Lake]]
* [[Quamichan Lake]]
* [[Ralph Lake]]
* [[Sarita Lake]]
* [[Shawnigan Lake (British Columbia)|Shawnigan Lake]]
* [[Somenos Lake]]
* [[Sooke Lake]]
* [[Sproat Lake]]
* [[Thetis Lake]]
* [[Upper Campbell Lake]]
}}

===Rivers===
{{main|List of rivers of British Columbia#Rivers of Vancouver Island}}

There are a number of rivers draining the island, some of which though short are large in volume. Among the more notable rivers are the [[Somass River]] in the [[Alberni Valley]], the [[Nimpkish River]] in the North Island region, the [[Englishman River]] up island from Nanaimo near [[Parksville, British Columbia|Parksville]], and the [[Cowichan River]] whose basin forms the [[Cowichan Valley]] region in the South Island region.

===Climate===
[[File:Vancouver Gulf Köppen.svg|upright=1.35|thumb|right|260px|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] in Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands]]

The climate of Vancouver Island is the mildest in Canada, with temperatures on the coast even in January being usually above {{cvt|0|C}}. In summer, the warmest days usually have a maximum of {{cvt|28|-|33|C}}. The southeastern part of the island notably has a warm summer (Csb) [[Mediterranean climate]] with numerous [[British Columbia wine|vineyards]].

The [[rain shadow]] effect of the island's mountains, as well as the mountains of [[Washington (state)|Washington's]] [[Olympic Peninsula]], creates wide variation in precipitation. The west coast is considerably wetter than the east coast. Average annual precipitation ranges from {{cvt|6650|mm}} at [[Hucuktlis Lake]] on the west coast (making it the wettest place in North America) to only {{cvt|608|mm}} at Victoria Gonzales, the driest recording station in the provincial capital of [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]]. Precipitation is heaviest in the autumn and winter. Snow is rare at low altitudes, but is common on the island's mountaintops in winter. Skiing is popular at [[Mount Washington (British Columbia)|Mount Washington]] in the mid-island, with an elevation of {{cvt|1588|m|ft|0}}.

A notable feature of Vancouver Island is the extension of summer dryness to latitudes as high as [[50th parallel north|50&nbsp;°N]]. Only in the extreme north of the island near [[Port Hardy]] is the rainfall of the driest summer month as much as ''one fifth'' that of the wettest months from November to March. West coasts of other continents at similar latitudes have a practically even distribution of rainfall throughout the year.

{{Port Renfrew weatherbox}}
{{University of Victoria weatherbox}}
{{Victoria International weatherbox}}
{{Comox, British Columbia weatherbox}}
{{Estevan Point weatherbox}}