Vancouver, George, 1757-98, English navigator and explorer. He sailed on Capt. James Cook's second and third voyages. After 1780 he served under Admiral George Rodney in the West Indies, taking part in the great victory (1782) over Admiral de Grasse. In 1791, a commander, he set out for the northwest coast of America with a double mission—to take over the territory at Nootka Sound that had been assigned to England by the Nootka Convention and to explore and survey the N Pacific coast. Vancouver rounded the Cape of Good Hope, made new explorations on the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, and visited Tahiti and the Hawaiian Islands. He arrived at the northwest coast of America in 1792 and for three years (1792-94) explored and surveyed it. In the course of his journeys he circumnavigated the island now called Vancouver Island in his honor. After arriving (1795) in England again he began to prepare an account of his voyage for publication, a task not quite completed at his death. His brother, with the aid of Peter Puget, Vancouver's lieutenant, finished the book, which was published as A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean and round the World (3 vol. and an atlas, 1798, repr. 1968). Another first-hand account was that of Archibald Menzies; part of his journal was edited in 1923 by C. F. Newcombe.

Vancouver Island (1991 pop. 579,921), 12,408 sq mi (32,137 sq km), SW British Columbia, Canada, in the Pacific Ocean; largest island off W North America. It is c.285 mi (460 km) long and c.30 to 80 mi (50-130 km) wide and is separated from the mainland by Queen Charlotte, Georgia, and Juan de Fuca straits. The rugged island, a partially submerged portion of the Coast Mts., rises to 7,219 ft (2,200 m) at Golden Hinde Mt. Level plains extend inland from the eastern coastline. The Pacific coastline is deeply indented by numerous fjords and inlets. The island has a mild humid climate; W Vancouver Island receives the greatest amount of precipitation in North America. There are many lakes and streams but no navigable rivers. The island is heavily forested, and lumbering and wood processing are major industries. Vancouver Island is underlaid by a mineral-rich batholith, from which iron, copper, and gold are mined. Coal is extracted from a depression at the edge of the batholith; the mines at Nanaimo provide most of the coal for British Columbia. Fishing, agriculture, and tourism are other important economic activities. Pacific Rim National Park, Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Park, and Strathcona Provincial Park are there. Population is concentrated along the east coast; Victoria (the provincial capital), Nanaimo, Port Alberni, and Esquimalt (site of a large naval base) are the largest cities. There are many small ports and fishing settlements. Both Spain and Britain claimed the island; it was sighted (1774) by Juan Pérez, the Spanish explorer, and Capt. James Cook was the first (1778) to land there. In 1788, John Meares, an English trader, built a fort on Nootka Sound, which was later occupied by Spanish forces. In 1792 the island was circumnavigated and chartered by Capt. George Vancouver. British sovereignty over Vancouver was confirmed (1846) when the U.S.-Canada line was drawn through Juan de Fuca Strait by the Oregon Treaty. Vancouver Island was made a crown colony in 1849 and in 1866 became part of British Columbia.

Vancouver, city (1991 pop. 471,844), SW British Columbia, Canada, on Burrard Inlet of the Strait of Georgia, opposite Vancouver Island and just N of the Wash. border. It is the largest city on Canada's Pacific coast, the center of the third largest metropolitan area in Canada, and the nation's chief Pacific port, with an excellent year-round harbor. It is the major western terminus of trans-Canadian railroads, highways, and airways, as well as the terminus of a pipeline bringing oil to the west coast from Edmonton. The city's industries include lumbering, shipbuilding, fish processing, and sugar and oil refining. It has textile and knitting mills and plants making metal, wood, paper, and mineral products.

Vancouver's location on hills with views of the harbor, its many waterways, and the nearby mountains of the Coast Range as well as its mild winter climate make it a year-round tourist center. As Canada's main connection to Pacific Rim countries, Vancouver has become increasingly ethnically diverse as large numbers of Chinese, Japanese, and South Asians have settled in the city. Vancouver's Chinatown is second only to San Francisco's.

Simon Fraser Univ. and the British Columbia Institute of Technology are in the city. At Point Grey in metropolitan Vancouver is the Univ. of British Columbia. Stanley Park (900 acres/364 hectares), the largest of the city's more than 170 parks, has a zoo, a marine science center, and famous gardens with outstanding specimens of native trees. Other attractions include the Granville Island Museums and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site some 20 mi (32 km) south of the city. Vancouver is home to the Canucks (National Hockey League), and Lions (Canadian Football League). An international exposition devoted to transportation, Expo '86, brought international recognition and 20 million visitors to the city, and the city will host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vancouver was settled before 1875 and originally called Granville. It was incorporated in 1886, after a rail link was built, and named in honor of Capt. George Vancouver.

Vancouver, city (1990 pop. 46,380), seat of Clark co., SW Wash., on the Columbia River opposite Portland, Oreg., with which it is connected by bridges; inc. 1857. A rapidly growing suburb of Portland and an important deepwater port, it has an extensive shipping industry, many lumber mills, and an enormous grain elevator. Power from the nearby Bonneville Dam supplies its industries; manufactures include adhesives; sheet metal; industrial gases; electrical, communications, and transportation equipment; metal, wood, paper, and plastic products; mining machinery; ships; and clothing.

The city was founded by the Hudson's Bay Company as Fort Vancouver in 1825-26 (see McLoughlin, John). After the area was ceded to the United States in 1846, the U.S. army established (1849) a fort there, which remains in operation. Vancouver has an art gallery and a sports stadium. It is also the headquarters for Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Historic attractions include Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (see National Parks and Monuments, table); Covington House (1845), one of the oldest houses in the state; and the Ulysses S. Grant house and museum.

North Vancouver, city (1991 pop. 38,436), SW British Columbia, Canada, on Burrard Inlet of the Strait of Georgia, opposite Vancouver, of which it is a suburb. Shipbuilding, woodworking, and the shipping of grain, lumber, and ore are the chief industries.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site: see National Parks and Monuments (table).

(born June 22, 1757, King's Lynn, Norfolk, Eng.—died May 10, 1798, Richmond, Surrey) English navigator. He entered the Royal Navy at age 13 and sailed with James Cook on his second and third voyages (1772–75, 1776–79) to the Pacific. In 1791 he commanded an expedition that explored the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii before reaching the Pacific coast of North America in 1792; over the next two years he meticulously mapped a major portion of the coast. His maps and a lengthy account of his voyages were published in 1798.

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Island (pop., 2001: 705,000) off southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest island (12,079 sq mi [31,285 sq km]) on the Pacific coast of North America. It has several peaks of more than 7,000 ft (2,100 m), as well as several fine harbours. The chief city is Victoria. It was inhabited by coastal Indians for several millennia before it was visited by early Spanish and English explorers, including Capt. James Cook in 1778. It was surveyed in 1792 by George Vancouver and was held by the Hudson's Bay Co. until it was made a British crown colony in 1849. It united with British Columbia in 1866. The island's main industries include lumbering, fishing, agriculture, and tourism.

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City (pop., 2001: metro. area, 1,986,965), southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located on a fine natural harbour, it originated as a lumber-processing settlement in the 1870s. It recovered from a disastrous fire (1886) to become Canada's principal seaport. Its development was aided by completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1887 and the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, which made it economically feasible to export grain and lumber from Vancouver to the North American east coast and Europe. Economic activities include producing lumber and plywood, oil refining, fishing, and shipbuilding.

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(born June 22, 1757, King's Lynn, Norfolk, Eng.—died May 10, 1798, Richmond, Surrey) English navigator. He entered the Royal Navy at age 13 and sailed with James Cook on his second and third voyages (1772–75, 1776–79) to the Pacific. In 1791 he commanded an expedition that explored the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii before reaching the Pacific coast of North America in 1792; over the next two years he meticulously mapped a major portion of the coast. His maps and a lengthy account of his voyages were published in 1798.

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