QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS

archipelago of western British Columbia, Canada, south of the Alaskan Panhandle. Extending in a northsouth direction for roughly 175 miles (280 km) and with a land area of 3,705 square miles (9,596 square km), the islands (about 150 in number) are separated from Alaska, mainland British Columbia, and Vancouver Island by Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait, and Queen Charlotte Sound, respectively. The two largest of the islands, Graham and Moresby, are irregular in shape and rise to nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 m). The rugged islands have mild winters because of warm ocean currents. Naikoon Provincial Park occupies the northeastern corner of Graham Island. In 1988 the southern half of Moresby Island became South Moresby National Park; lush temperate rain forests are found there. The Spaniard Juan Prez (1774) and the Englishman Captain James Cook (1778) were the first Europeans to sight the island group, but it was Captain George Dixon who in 1787 surveyed the islands and named them for his ship. The archipelago's small population, which includes Haida Indians, engages in fishing and ranching. Pop. (1991) 5,316.