Nootka Sound is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and a natural harbour on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As a strait it separates Vancouver Island and Nootka Island. The mouth of the sound was sighted in 1774 by Juan Pérez, a Spanish explorer. The sound itself was visited by Captain James Cook in 1778, who was the first European to land in that region. Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, off the Pacific coast. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendour without diminishment) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Area 944,735 km² (5th)  - Land 925,186 km²  - Water 19,549 km² (2. ... Simplified diagram A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water, and thus lies between two land masses. ... Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, off the Pacific coast. ... Nootka Island is an island near Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. ... In geography a sound is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight, wider than a fjord, or it may identify a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land (see also strait). ... British explorer James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

John Meares, the British explorer, established a trading post on Nootka Sound in 1788. Its seizure by Spaniards in 1789 became the subject of a controversy between Spain and England over claims in the region. The third Nootka Convention resolved the dispute in 1794^{1, 2}. John Meares (1756-1801) was an English navigator. ... 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Nootka Convention was a treaty between Spain and Great Britain in 1790 that averted a war between the two countries over overlapping claims to portions of the northwestern coast of North America. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

The sound is named after a group of people indigenous to Vancouver Island, formerly called the Nootka. They are now referred to as the Nuu-chah-nulth. In geography a sound is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight, wider than a fjord, or it may identify a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land (see also strait). ... Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, off the Pacific coast. ... The Nuu-chah-nulth (pronounced New-cha-nulth)(also Nootka, Nutka, Aht, West Coast, T’aat’aaqsapa, Nuuchahnulth) people are indigenous peoples of Canada. ...

References

• Harboard, Heather. Nootka Sound and the Surrounding Waters of Maquinna. Surrey: Heritage House Publishing Company Limited, 1996. ISBN 1-895811-03-1.

• Jones, Laurie. Nootka Sound Explored. Campbell River: Ptarmigan Press, 1991. ISBN 0-919537-24-3.

In March 1778, Captain James Cook of the Royal Navy became the first European to set foot on British Columbian soil when he visited Friendly Cove on Nootka Island. While anchoring in Resolution Cove on Bligh Island, across from Friendly Cove, the natives hollered "itchme nutka, itchme nutka", meaning "go around" (to Yuquot), but Cook misinterpreted their calls, believing the name of the area to be Nootka.

Notes

• Note 1: The Department of National Defence: Canadian Military Heritage. Evacuation of Nootka. Retrieved 25 March 2005.
• Note 2: City of Nanaimo (2004). Timeline of Nanaimo (PDF). Retrieved 25 March 2005.