Saanich Peninsula

Saanich Peninsula
Saanich Bay with Saanich Peninsula
Geographical location
Coordinates	48 ° 33 ′  N , 123 ° 26 ′  W Coordinates: 48 ° 33 ′  N , 123 ° 26 ′  W
Waters 1	Saanich Inlet
Waters 2	Haro Street
length	15 km
width	8 kilometers

The Saanich Peninsula ( English Saanich Peninsula ) is a peninsula in the Canadian province of British Columbia . The peninsula forms the end of Vancouver Island that extends from the actual southern tip to the southeast and belongs to the Capital Regional District .

Various communities can be found on the peninsula, which is basically equally densely populated. In addition to the First Nations reserves located on the peninsula , which are only inhabited by a few indigenous people, the John Dean Provincial Park and the Gulf Islands National Park on the peninsula are the few larger, sparsely populated areas. The parks are also tourist attractions, as is the British Columbia Aviation Museum , Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and Butchart Gardens .

location

The peninsula of the city tapers from its base north Victoria to the north, with the ferry terminal Swartz Bay of BC Ferries at the end. To the west, the Saanich Inlet cuts far into the island and thus separates the peninsula from the rest of the island. To the east, the peninsula borders the waters of the Haro Strait . The southern end of the peninsula is not exactly defined. According to current definitions, the Saanich Peninsula does not encompass the entire peninsula, but its southern boundary runs approximately from the middle of the Saanich Inlet (approximately at the transition to the Finlayson Arm) to the opposite coast (approximately at the level of Cordova Bay).

geology

The peninsula is basically of a slightly wavy surface and criss-crossed with numerous small lakes. The coastline is characterized by rocky and rugged banks. There are several larger cuts or bays along the peninsula. The highest point on the peninsula is Mount Newton , with a height of 306  m . To the south of the peninsula there are two other mountains: Mount Work ( 449  m ) and Jocelyn Hill ( 434  m ).

Rock formations from the Permian , Triassic , Jura and Quaternary periods can be found on the Saanich Peninsula . The most common types of rock are basalt , diorite , dacite and limestone and, more rarely, andesite , sandstone and slate .

Flora and fauna

Within the British Columbia ecosystem, the peninsula is primarily assigned to the Coastal Douglas Fir Zone . The same biogeoclimatic zones are characterized by the same climate and the same or similar biological and geological conditions. This results in a very similar population of plants and animals in the respective zones.

After the last forestry use and afforestation, mainly Douglas firs , West American hemlocks , giant arborvitae , Oregon oaks and coastal pines are growing on the peninsula, especially in the protected areas . Some of the American strawberry trees can also be found on the peninsula . The forest here, if present, has an undergrowth of Mahonia , broom and bearberry . There are also tooth lilies , forest lilies and snowberries on the peninsula . In the undergrowth you can still find the Nuttalls flower dogwood , also called Pacific dogwood, the heraldic plant of British Columbia.

climate

Due to the usually prevailing wind directions, the entire peninsula is relatively well protected from the otherwise quite frequent and very productive rain showers on the Canadian west coast. The entire peninsula is considered to be one of the areas with the lowest rainfall on the coast. Precisely, the temperatures are moderate in both summer and winter.

Victoria International Airport
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     137   7th 1     108   8th 1     78   11 2     45   13 4th     37   17th 7th     32   19th 9     20th   22nd 11     24   22nd 11     30th   19th 8th     76   14th 5     147   10 3     151   7th 1 Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000. Victoria International Airport. In: Environment and Climate Change Canada . Retrieved July 18, 2013 .

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Victoria International Airport Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 6.9 8.4 10.5 13.4 16.6 19.3 21.9 22nd 19.4 14.2 9.5 6.9 O 14.1 Min. Temperature (° C) 0.7 1.4 2.3 4.1 6.9 9.3 10.8 10.8 8.4 5.3 2.7 1.0 O 5.3 Temperature (° C) 3.8 4.9 6.4 8.8 11.8 14.4 16.4 16.4 14th 9.8 6.1 4th O 9.8 Precipitation ( mm ) 136.6 107.8 78 44.5 36.5 32 19.5 23.9 30.4 75.7 147.2 151.2 Σ 883.3 Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 2.2 3.2 4.6 6.3 7.9 8.4 10.4 9.7 7.3 4.5 2.5 1.9 O 5.8 Rainy days ( d ) 17.8 16.1 16.2 13.2 11.6 10 5.7 5.6 7.4 13.2 18.7 18.7 Σ 154.2 Humidity ( % ) 87 84 80 75 74 73 73 75 79 85 87 88 O 80 Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000. Victoria International Airport. In: Environment and Climate Change Canada . Retrieved July 18, 2013 .

history

Map of the First Nations Reserves on the peninsula

The peninsula is originally the settlement and hunting area of ​​the eponymous people of the Saanich , who belong to the First Nations . Several groups lived on the peninsula, such as the Tsartlip , the Pauquachin , the Tsawout and the Tseycum . Reserves for these groups can also be found on the peninsula today.

European history dates back to the first expeditions by the British and Spanish in the 1770s. However, it is uncertain who entered this area and where. This is only certain with the expedition under George Vancouver in 1792. The first European settlers settled on the peninsula around 1850. The first settlement focus was in the area of ​​what is now the Central Saanich district. The first settlers to settle here set up farms on behalf of the Pugets Sound Agricultural Company , a subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). In 1852, Governor James Douglas , who at the same time was also the executive officer of the HBC, had signed two contracts with the Saanich, as part of the so-called Douglas Treaties , to exchange blankets for land. These treaties and the interpretation by the Europeans enabled them to take another land on the peninsula. The interpretation of the contracts, which the Saanich do not see as contracts, but only as personal agreements, leads to disputes to this day.

With the creation of the Vancouver Island Crown Colony and the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush , the need for food increased steadily. Therefore, more and more settlers settled on the peninsula and founded farms. This development continued. However, especially after the First World War, many farms were abandoned in favor of residential areas. Today there is residential development and the corresponding infrastructure on the peninsula.

population

About 37,600 people live on the Saanich Peninsula. An exact determination of the population is not possible because there is no exact limit to the south.

The following communities are located on the peninsula, from north to south:

• North Saanich
• Sidney
• Central Saanich
• Saanich (only the northern part of the municipality is included in the peninsula)
• Highlands (only the southern part of the municipality is included in the peninsula)

traffic

The peninsula is crossed by two major traffic routes. Both Highway 17 and Highway 17A run in a north-south direction. Highway 17 opens up the eastern areas of the peninsula, while Highway 17A crosses the western areas. The common northern end of both highways is the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. From here there is a connection to the Lower Mainland and to Vancouver . Due to this ferry terminal, traffic on Highway 17 is correspondingly dense.

In addition to the ferry terminal in Swartz Bay, there is also a small ferry connection over Saanich Inlet. The small ferry runs from Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay.

Victoria International Airport is located near the northern end of the peninsula . It is the largest of the airports on Vancouver Island and therefore of corresponding importance. Although the railways do not allow the landing or take-off of large aircraft, it is served by various regional airlines in both national and international traffic.

There is also public transport, which is ensured by various bus routes. Victoria Regional Transit System currently operates nine bus routes on the peninsula. Rail traffic does not take place on the Saanich Peninsula.

Web links

• Saanich Peninsula . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
• Saanich Peninsula on britishcolumbia.com (Engl.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mount Newton in the Internet version of the English-language Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia
2. ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF, 10.31 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , February 1991, accessed on July 16, 2013 . 
3. ↑ TreeBook. Arbutus tree. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , accessed October 20, 2012 . 
4. ↑ Welcome to the First Nation Profiles Interactive Map. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada , accessed July 26, 2013 . 
5. ↑ Brentwood Bay - Mill Bay. BC Ferries , accessed July 18, 2013 . 
6. ^ Regional Map for Saanich Peninsula. Victoria Regional Transit System , accessed July 18, 2013 .