Juan de Fuca Strait

Juan de Fuca Strait , inlet of the Pacific Ocean, 100 mi (161 km) long and 11 to 17 mi (18-27 km) wide, between Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and Washington state, linking the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound with the Pacific; forms part of the U.S.-Canada border. Victoria, British Columbia, the strait's largest city, is located at its eastern end; ferries connect it with the U.S. mainland. Discovered by the English captain Charles W. Barkley in 1787, the strait was named for a sailor, Juan de Fuca, who reputedly had explored it for Spain in 1592.

Strait of Juan de Fuca, Canada‐USA A strait between Vancouver Island and Washington named after Juan de Fuca, the name adopted when sailing for the Spanish by a Greek navigator, Apostolos Valerianus. He is said to have claimed to have found a passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans between the latitudes of 47° and 48° north in 1592. Although George Vancouver ^† exposed this claim as being dishonest, the strait still bears de Fuca's name.