Haida Gwaii, Island group in British Columbia, Canada
Haida Gwaii is an island group in British Columbia consisting of roughly 150 individual islands stretching across a length of about 250 kilometers (155 miles). Graham Island to the north and Moresby Island to the south together form the bulk of the landmass.
The Haida Nation has lived on these islands for thousands of years, maintaining a continuous connection to the coastal waters and forests. In 2024, the provincial government formally transferred title for more than 200 islands back to the Haida Nation.
The indigenous population speaks a language with a grammar unlike any other, now reappearing in school programs and public signs across the territory. Local artists work with cedar and silver to create masks and jewelry following patterns passed down through generations.
Reaching the territory requires either a two-hour flight from Vancouver to Sandspit or a roughly seven-hour ferry crossing from Prince Rupert to Skidegate Landing. Weather conditions can affect flight and ferry schedules, so flexible travel planning helps.
These islands remained ice-free during the last glaciation, allowing plants and animals to evolve that now exist nowhere else nearby. Some of these species share closer kinship with organisms in Asia than with those on the North American mainland.
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