Strait of Juan de Fuca
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The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a strait that connects Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean and provides part of the International Boundary between the United States and Canada. It was named in 1788 by the English Captain John Meares of the ship Felice for Juan de Fuca, the Greek sailor who claimed to have gone on a voyage with Spanish explorers in 1592 to seek the fabled Straits of Anian.
The United States Geological Survey defines the Strait of Juan de Fuca as a channel. It extends east from the Pacific Ocean between Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, to Haro Strait, San Juan Channel, Rosario Strait, and Puget Sound. Its Pacific Ocean boundary is formed by a line between Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island, Washington, and Carmanah Point (Vancouver Island), British Columbia. Its northern boundary follows the shoreline of Vancouver Island to Gonzales Point, then follows a continuous line east to Seabird Point (Discovery Island), British Columbia, Cattle Point (San Juan Islands), Washington, Iceberg Point (Lopez Island), Point Colville (Lopez Island), and then over Rosario Head (Fidalgo Island). The eastern boundary is a continuous line extending south from Rosario Head along Whidbey Island to Point Partridge and south to Point Wilson (Quimper Peninsula). The Washington mainland forms the southern boundary of the strait.
Because it is exposed to the generally westerly winds and waves of the Pacific, seas and weather in Juan de Fuca Strait are, on average, rougher than in the more protected waters inland. An international vehicle ferry crosses the Strait from Port Angeles, Washington to Victoria, British Columbia several times each day.
The strait remains the subject of a maritime boundary dispute between Canada and the US.
Counties along the Strait of Juan de Fuca:
- Clallam County, Washington
- Jefferson County, Washington
- Island County, Washington
- San Juan County, Washington
Regional districts along the Strait of Juan de Fuca:
Source: United States Geological Survey (http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.gnisprod?f_name=Juan+de+Fuca&variant=N&f_state=&f_cnty=&f_ty=&elev1=&elev2=&cell=&pop1=&pop2=&my_function=Send+Query&last_name=&last_state=&last_cnty=&page_cnt=&record_cnt=&tab=Y)