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.
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, 2.
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.
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.
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