What is the Strait of Juan de Fuca?

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a 96-mile-long body of water serving as the Salish Sea's main outlet to the Pacific Ocean, with the international boundary between Canada and the United States running down its center. It was named in 1787 by maritime fur trader Charles William Barkley after a Greek navigator who supposedly sailed there in 1592. In addition to the surface strait, there is also a submarine channel located off the shore of Washington state and the strait.

What we know

• The Strait of Juan de Fuca is approximately 96 miles long and acts as the main outlet of the Salish Sea to the Pacific Ocean. [2]
• The international boundary line between Canada and the United States runs right down the center of the strait. [2]
• Maritime fur trader Charles William Barkley named the strait in 1787 after Greek navigator Juan de Fuca. [2]
• A submarine feature known as the Juan de Fuca Channel lies off the shore of Washington state and the strait. [4]

Still open

• It remains disputed whether Juan de Fuca actually sailed to the strait in 1592, or if his story was a fabrication based on Francis Drake's earlier exploration.
• While most historical sources credit Charles William Barkley with naming the strait in 1787, the U.S. Geological Survey GNIS states that John Meares named it in 1788.

Where to go next

• whoWho was the Greek navigator Juan de Fuca?
• how it workedHow does the Salish Sea connect to the Pacific Ocean?
• the bigger pictureWhat are the maritime borders between Canada and the United States?
• a case in pointWhat is the Juan de Fuca submarine channel?
• whenWhen was the strait explored by Spanish expeditions?
• an unexpected connectionDid a fabricated story lead to the naming of a major North American strait?Scholars like Samuel Bawlf have posited that the entire foundational legend of the strait's namesake was just a fabricated tale designed to extract money from the English government.

Sources

• [1]Strait of Juan de Fuca (Wikidata Q867627) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Strait of Juan de Fuca · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Juan de Fuca-Malahat · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Juan de Fuca Channel · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of areas disputed by Canada and the United States · CC BY-SA 4.0