Cormorant Island (British Columbia)
Cormorant Island is an island in Queen Charlotte Strait on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It has a total land area of about 4 square km[1] and is located south of Malcolm Island and east of Port McNeill.
Approximately 954 people (2016 census) live on the island,[1] primarily in the village of Alert Bay and the 'Namgis First Nation. Approximately 60% of persons on the island live on one of the reserves, which together occupy about 30% of the island's land area.[1]
The island is accessible by boat or by air. BC Ferries runs a passenger and car ferry between Cormorant Island, Malcolm Island, and Port McNeill which departs from Cormorant Island approximately every three hours during the day.[2] There are two airports on the island: Alert Bay Water Aerodrome allows for access via floatplane, while Alert Bay Airport allows for conventional airplanes.
Name origin[]
The island was named for the HMS Cormorant in 1846, by that vessel's commander, . The Cormorant was assigned to the Royal Navy's Pacific Station from 1844 to 1850, and was the first naval steam vessel in the waters of the Pacific Northwest Coast.[3]
References[]
- ^ a b c "Welcome to Cormorant Island". 'Namgis First Nation. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
- ^ "BC Ferries Schedule". BC Ferries. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
- ^ BCGNIS "Cormorant Island" Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
Coordinates: 50°35′00″N 126°55′00″W / 50.58333°N 126.91667°W
- Islands of British Columbia
- Central Coast of British Columbia