Gwaii Haanas (Haida) | |
|---|---|
 Haida Gwaii. Moresby Island is the large southern island. Alaska lies north | |
_location_map.svg)  Moresby Island Moresby Island (British Columbia, Canada) | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 53°04′44″N 132°07′40″W / 53.07889°N 132.12778°W[1] |
| Archipelago | Haida Gwaii |
| Area | 3,399.39 km2 (1,312.51 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional District Electoral Area | North Coast Regional District Electoral Area E |
| Electoral Area Director | Evan Putterill |
| Largest settlement | Sandspit |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 325 (2021[2]) |
| Pop. density | 0.10/km2 (0.26/sq mi) |
Moresby Island (Haida: Gwaii Haanas) is a large island (3,399.39 km2 [1,312.51 sq mi]) that forms part of the Haida Gwaii archipelago (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands) in British Columbia, Canada, located at 53°04′44″N 132°07′40″W / 53.07889°N 132.12778°W[1] It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from the other principal island of the group to the north, Graham Island.
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site includes Moresby and other islands. The island, together with numerous nearby smaller islands and islets in the southern archipelago, is defined by Statistics Canada as North Coast E, Regional district electoral area, with a population of 325 as of the 2010 census. Almost all of its population, 310 people, resided in the unincorporated community of Sandspit, on the northeast corner of Moresby. The total land area of the electoral area is 3,408.85 km2 (1,316.16 sq mi).[2][3]
Moresby Island is the 175th largest island in the world, and the 32nd largest island in Canada.
On October 27, 2012, the Haida Gwaii earthquake of magnitude 7.7 (the strongest earthquake in Canada since the 1949 Queen Charlotte Islands earthquake) was epicentred at a depth of 17.5 km (10.9 mi) under the island.[4]
- ^ a b "Moresby Island". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ a b "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table: North Coast E, Regional district electoral area (RDA) British Columbia [Census subdivision]". February 1, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table: Sandspit, Unincorporated place (UNP) British Columbia [Designated place]". February 1, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey October 28, 2012, Haida Gwaii earthquake