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Vancouver Island is larger than some countries. It stretches along half
of the British Columbia coastline. Victoria, the capital city, is at the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Traveling north along the
highway, Duncan is the next major town that you will come to. Continuing north, the highway bypasses the lovely
town of Chemainus, but goes right through Ladysmith which is right on the 49th parallel. Carrying on up the
Island, you will come to Nanaimo - the hub of Vancouver Island. Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino are off to the
west of Nanaimo. Further up the Island from Nanaimo are
Comox and Courtenay. The highway runs along the east side of Vancouver Island up to Port Hardy, mostly following
along the east coast of Vancouver Island. While logging is important on Vancouver Island, tourism is becoming the major part of the economy, as it is on
the mainland. Whale watching is always popular. Long Beach is Canada's year round surf centre.
Vancouver Island can be reached by Ferry or by air. Victoria and Nanaimo have fair sized airports, with
scheduled flights to Vancouver. There is also scheduled helicopter and float plane service between them.
Nitinat Lake and Nimpkish Lake are the hotspots for board sailing on Vancouver Island. Nitinat is west of
Duncan, and Nimpkish is at the northern end of the Island. |
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