Talk:Gulf Islands

Historical misnomer?

The name "Gulf Islands" comes from a historical misnomer for the Strait of Georgia, the Gulf of Georgia.

Not a historical misnomer, exactly. More like a colloquial expression inherited from the earliest post-Contact times that got stuck in people's minds and in local speech and usage, but not officially on the map anywhere; another example is "Lower Mainland", which like "Gulf of Georgia" also shows up in institutional and government division names. But "the Gulf" infers something larger than the Strait to me, and would include the waters around the Gulf Islands as well as the Georgia Strait proper; and it's also a term for the foreshore/basin communities surrounding it, their commonality. So to me there's a difference and I don't think that "historical misnomer" quite fits it; I'll think about another term but if someone else has any ideas please give 'em a try.Skookum1 04:58, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

I think Vancouver wasn't so sure the whole body of water led anywhere and thought it was a Gulf rather than the Strait.. Anyway, and fyi-re the aerial photo I updated, which I took last April, I put it on top of the other photos not to be rude or crass, but rather because I think a photo of multiple islands should be first in the article of this nature. The other pics are good too...--Keefer4 07:06, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Bowen Island

Someone took out Bowen Island, and as much as I tend to agree it's not a Gulf Island, and certainly not one of the Southern Gulf Islands, fact is Gabriola, Texada, Lasqueti and Savary are considered (northern) Gulf Islands; and I've seen (somewhere) government and/or tourism brochures calling Bowen and Gambier "Gulf Islands"; I think that's a marketing-office mistake, like the notion that the Sunshine Coast includes the Lower Mainland just because the MoE Lower Mainland Region includes it within its boundaries, which other people extend as "proof". Myself I've never even though of Gabriola as a Gulf Island; they kinda stop at Thetis, Kuiper, Denman and Hornby in my mind.Skookum1 07:28, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

Lesser Gulf Islands

Not ready yet, but somewhere in this article I will be wanting to add a reference to some of the lesser Gulf Islands, there are many of them. Have a wee start going on for De Courcy Island at the moment and Jedediah Island next. --KenWalker | Talk 21:06, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Savary Island

Should Savary Island be included as one of the northern Gulf Islands? KenWalker | Talk 08:45, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

Think so, certainly not one of the southern ones.Skookum1 (talk) 17:49, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Islands Trust

While adding/tweaking things it occurred to me to add this to the See alsos, and itturned out to be a redlink; I'd say it's a fairly high-mid priority article, but don't know enough about the Trust to write it.Skookum1 (talk) 17:49, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Lack of a clear definition

I just did some copyediting and digging up of sources here, and added a map. I'm struck by how BCGNIS seems so adamant about the name "Gulf Islands" only referring to the "southern" Gulf Islands—going so far as to call the term "Southern Gulf Islands" a misnomer—yet there are plenty of other sources, many from the BC government itself, that use a much broader definition and happily refer to "southern" and "northern" Gulf Islands. From what I can tell, unlike the San Juan Islands, which are strictly defined due to their disputed status back in the day, the Gulf Islands are not well defined. Normally I'd put most value on BCGNIS's definition, but it seems that general usage does not concur with BCGNIS. So I added a few variant definitions. What a mess! I also added a couple of "citation needed"s, thinking I could dig up sources fairly easily. But I've had trouble finding sources. One claim is that the term "Gulf Islands" comes from Vancouver's "Gulf of Georgia", which seems obvious enough, and that before the San Juan Island dispute the San Juans were included in the meaning of "Gulf Islands". This latter point I've had trouble confirming. Pfly (talk) 10:54, 31 July 2011 (UTC)

Population and area table

Has anyone thought about creating a table like the one on the following page, giving population, size and one or two other pieces of information about each individual island?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isles_of_Scilly#Geography

Chocoholic2017 (talk) 23:20, 22 July 2018 (UTC)

How about something like the following once it's been tidied up:

Island	Population	Area (sq km)	Area (sq mi)
Gabriola	4,000	57.6	22.2
Galiano	1,044	60.15	23.22
Penelakut	302
Mayne	1,071	21	8
Pender	2,245	34	13
Salt Spring	10,557	182.7	70.5
Saturna	350	31	12
Thetis	350
Valdes	few	23	9

Chocoholic2017 (talk) 19:42, 4 August 2018 (UTC)

I am open to this. I don't think Penelakut is a fair comparison in this list as it is either mostly or entirely a native reservation. Population density would be a good thing to include I think. Thanks Air.light (talk) 07:54, 9 August 2018 (UTC)

Sorry, but lame map!

I don't get it. I understand the article's maps aren't ambitious enough to include the many minor islands (though in this age of high-res images and zooming, isn't that possible? hint hint). But as the list shows, there are eight major Northern Islands—and the map identifies only two of them? (I've used italics to express my incredulity.) Who can save us from this dispiriting example of Graphics Poverty? – AndyFielding (talk) 08:26, 27 September 2022 (UTC)