Ballenas Islands
| Ballenas Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Strait of Georgia ( Pacific Ocean ) | |
| archipelago | Gulf Islands | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 21 ′ N , 124 ° 10 ′ W | |
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| Number of islands | 2 | |
| Main island | North Ballenas Island | |
| Total land area | 0.7 km² | |
The Ballenas Islands are a group of islands off the east coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia . They lie in the Strait of Georgia ( Strait of Georgia ) is less than 5 km east of the coastal town of Parksville .
The group consists of two small rocky islands lying close together with a total area of around 70 hectares . On the northern tip of the slightly larger north-western island ( North Ballenas Island or West Ballenas Island ) with a size of around 40 hectares there is a lighthouse ; it was built around 1900 and has been unmanned since 1966. There are a few other buildings on the island; North Ballenas Island is privately owned.
In contrast, South Ballenas Island, bordering the southeast, is undeveloped and uninhabited.
The name of the archipelago goes back to the Spanish explorer José María Narváez , who sighted some whales there in 1791 while exploring the Strait of Georgia. He therefore named the islands Islas de las Ballenas ("Islands of the Whales").
Web links
- Ballenas Islands . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
- Photos from the lighthouse on North Ballenas Island
Individual evidence
- ^ Ballenas Islands Lighthouse. Retrieved December 10, 2019 .
- ^ West Ballenas Island. Retrieved December 10, 2019 .
- ^ Walbran, John T. British Columbia Coast Names, 1592-1906: their origin and history. Ottawa, 1909