Vancouver Island Facts

Vancouver Island Celebrity/Movie Facts

  • The Vancouver Island region is the former home of celebrities, Steve Nash (NBA - Phoenix Suns), Nelly Furtado (Singer/Songwriter), Pamela Anderson (Model/Actor), Cam Neely (NHL - Vancouver Canucks/Boston Bruins), and Diana Krall (Jazz Singer/Songwriter).
  • Movies filmed in the Vancouver Island region include X-Men: The Last Stand & X2 (Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, Ian Mckellen, and Patrick Stewart), X Files (David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson), The Scarlett Letter (Robert Duvall, Demi Moore, Gary Oldman), Seven Years in Tibet (Brad Pitt), and Little Women (Kirsten Dunst, Winona Ryder).

Vancouver Island Geography Facts

  • Vancouver Island, with an area of 32,000sq km/19,884sq mi, is the largest island off the west coast of North America.
  • At approximately 460km/286mi in length and 100km/62mi in breadth, Vancouver Island is comparable in size to the Netherlands and Taiwan.
  • Strathcona Provincial Park's Della Falls, located in Campbell River, is Canada's highest waterfalls and one of the ten highest waterfalls in the world, at 440m/1,452ft.
  • Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park is home to some of the world’s largest spruce trees, reaching heights in excess of 95m/310ft. Additionally, the park is home to ancient, knotted cedars estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.

Vancouver Island Climate Facts

  • The Vancouver Island region boasts the mildest climate in Canada. Summer is reliably warm and sunny, with frequent ocean breezes, while winter is relatively cool.
  • Average maximum temperature (summer): mid-20C˚/70-80F˚
  • Average maximum temperature (winter): 0C˚/32F˚

Vancouver Island Wildlife Facts

  • Some 7,000 known species inhabit the coastal waters of the Vancouver Island region, including more than 200 species of migratory birds and 33 species of land mammals.
  • Wildlife is the focus of many annual events in the region, such as the Pacific Rim Whale Festival in March, Oceanside’s Brant Festival in April, the Tofino Shorebird Festival in May, and the Eagle Extravaganza in Goldstream Provincial Park near Victoria.
  • Hornby Island and Nootka Sound are two of the few places in the world where scuba divers can view primitive six-gill sharks, a common species of deep water shark.

Vancouver Island Transportation Facts

  • Major airlines offer frequent, scheduled flights to Victoria International Airport, Comox Valley Airport, and Nanaimo Airport from Vancouver, Calgary, and Seattle.
  • Vehicle and passenger ferry service is available from Vancouver to Nanaimo, Victoria, and the Gulf Islands and from Seattle, Washington (passenger service only) and Port Angeles, Washington to Victoria.
  • Greyhound Canada offers passenger services from downtown Vancouver and Nanaimo.
 

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