Haida Gwaii is a group of about 150 islands in the North Pacific Ocean. The islands are part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Hecate Strait separates the islands from the mainland of the province. About 5,000 people live on the islands, which cover about 3,860 square miles (10,000 square kilometers).
The name Haida Gwaii means islands of the people in the language of the Haida, the First Nations people who traditionally have made the islands their home. In 1787, the British navigator George Dixon explored the islands. He named them the Queen Charlotte Islands after his ship, the Queen Charlotte. Queen Charlotte was the wife of King George III of Britain (now the United Kingdom). In 2010, Canada renamed the islands Haida Gwaii.
The largest islands of the group are Graham and Moresby. Lumbering, fishing, and tourism are the islands’ chief economic activities. Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site includes part of Moresby Island and more than 100 small islands at the southern end of Haida Gwaii. Its highlights include spectacular totem poles at the old Haida village of SG̱ang Gwaay Llnagaay (also called Ninstints or Nan Sdins).
