Extreme points of British Columbia
Encyclopedia
The extreme points of British Columbia are four in number:
- Mount Jetté, also legally described as Boundary Peak 177, which lies just inside the apex of the joint boundaries of British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Yukon and the US stateUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, at 59°59′41"N 139°03′10"W. US coordinates for the same summit are 59°59′39.3"N 139°03′12.6"W. The International Boundary Commission (IBC) defines "boundary point 177" as 59°59′41.3"N 139°3′13.8"W. The actual extreme point is where a line extending northwest from that summit reaches the 60th Parallel north, which is the limit of British Columbia, en route to the 141st line of longitude, which is the boundary between Yukon and Alaska. - at the intersection of the 60th Parallel N and the 120th Meridian West, which is the intersection of the boundaries of the Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest TerritoriesThe Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, British Columbia, and AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, north of the headwater area of the Petitot RiverPetitot RiverPetitot is a river in northern Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. It is a tributary of the Liard River.Petitot River originates from Bistcho Lake in northwestern Alberta, and flows westwards along the northern borders of Alberta and British Columbia. It then passes in the Northwest Territories,...
, a tributary of the LiardLiard RiverThe Liard River flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back...
(60°00′00"N 120°00′00"W). - Forum PeakForum PeakForum Peak is located on the border of Alberta and British Columbia on the Continental Divide. It was named after Forum Lake below the mountain.-See also:*List of peaks on the British Columbia-Alberta border*Mountains of Alberta...
, which lies just north of the apex of the joint boundaries of British Columbia, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, and the US stateUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, and at the southwest corner of Waterton Lakes National ParkWaterton Lakes National ParkWaterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterton Lake, in turn after the Victorian naturalist and conservationist...
, at 49°00′14"N 114°04′17"W. The actual extreme point lies just southeast of that summit, where the Continental Divide crosses the United States-Canada border. That point is marked by boundary monument 272, at 48°59′55.88502"N 114°4′5.44752"W. - the southernmost extremity is a point in the Strait of Juan de FucaStrait of Juan de FucaThe Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
at 48°13′28.4"N 123°32′28.4"W, due south of Christopher Point which is the southernmost tip of Vancouver IslandVancouver IslandVancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, at 48°19′00"N 123°35′00"W.. The southernmost land extremity is the southernmost point of land in the Race Rocks, which comprise an offshore ecological reserve, at 48°18′00"N 123°32′00"W.
Other notable boundary points
- The 49th Parallel boundary dividing the Mainland from the United States terminates in the middle of the Strait of GeorgiaStrait of GeorgiaThe Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
southwest of the Tsawwassen Ferry TerminalTsawwassen Ferry TerminalThe Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal is a major transportation facility in Delta, British Columbia. It is located on a three kilometre man-made causeway off the mainland at Tsawwassen and is less than 500 metres from the 49th parallel, Canada's border with the United States...
, at 49°0′7.5"N 123°19′20.1"W. - The northern marine boundary of British Columbia is the A-B Line, established by the Alaska Boundary Settlement of 1903, drawn from Point A to Point B. Point A is near Cape MuzonCape MuzonCape Muzon is a cape located in the Alexander Archipelago of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the southernmost point of Dall Island and the headland marking the northwestern extremity of the Dixon Entrance...
, the southern tip of Dall IslandDall IslandDall Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago off the southeast coast of Alaska, just west of Prince of Wales Island and north of Canadian waters. Its peak elevation is 2,443 feet above sea level. Its land area is 254.02 square miles , making it the 28th largest island in the United States...
, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, at 54°39′44.0"N 132°41′3.1"W. Point B is a point in the waters of Chatham SoundChatham SoundChatham Sound is a sound on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, located between Dundas and Stephens Islands and the Tsimpsean Peninsula near Prince Rupert, It was named in 1794 by Captain George Vancouver for John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham, whose brother William Pitt, was later to become...
, on roughly the same line of latitude, at the south end of Tongass PassageTongass PassageTongass Passage is a strait on the Canada-United States border between Alaska and British Columbia, located on the southwest side of Wales Island. Wales Island, and Pearse Island, to its northeast, were claimed by the United States prior to the settlement of the Alaska boundary dispute in 1903. ...
, which separates Tongass IslandTongass IslandTongass Island, historically also spelled Tongas Island, is an island in the southern Alaska Panhandle, near the marine boundary with Canada at 54-40 N...
, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, from Wales IslandWales Island (British Columbia)Wales Island is an island on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, situated east of the Dixon Entrance at the entrance to Portland Inlet. in area, Wales Island is north of the port city of Prince Rupert, and south-east of Ketchikan, Alaska....
, at 54°42′26.9"N 130°36′56.3"W. - The southermost point of the land border between Alaska and British Columbia is on the shoreline between Stewart, British ColumbiaStewart, British ColumbiaStewart is a small town, incorporated as a district municipality at the head of the Portland Canal in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. In 2006, its population was about 496.-History:...
and Hyder, AlaskaHyder, AlaskaHyder is a census-designated place in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 97. Hyder has achieved fame as a point in Alaska accessible to automobile and motorbike travelers in Canada who want to say that they have been to Alaska...
at Eagle PointEagle PointEagle Point may refer to:* Eagle Point, Oregon* Eagle Point, Wisconsin* Eagle Point, Pennsylvania-See also:* Eagle Point Park, Dubuque, Iowa* Eagle Point Park, Pasco County Florida...
, which is the western tip of the estuary of the Salmon River as it enters the head of the Portland CanalPortland CanalThe Portland Canal is an arm of Portland Inlet, one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. It is approximately long. The Portland Canal forms part of the border between southeastern Alaska and British Columbia. The name of the entire inlet in the Nisga'a language is K'alii...
, at 55°54′16"N 130°00′59"W. Eagle Point is the location of Boundary Monument 1, as ordered by the Alaska Boundary Tribunal. - The British Columbia-Alberta border diverges from the 120th Meridian at Intersection MountainIntersection MountainIntersection Mountain, prominence: , is a mountain on the Continental Divide. The mountain is so named because it lies at the intersection of the 120th meridian where the British Columbia and Alberta border diverges from its line along the Divide northwards along the meridian...
, 53°47′56"N 120°00′00"W (the actual summit of Intersection Mountain is at 53°47′56"N 120°00′05"W).
Elevation
- Fairweather Mountain, known in the United States as Mount Fairweather, at 58°54′23"N 137°31′36"W, is the highest point of land in British Columbia, at 4671 m (15,325 ft), and is at the southern apex of the "British Columbia Panhandle" which lies west of the passes connecting Skagway, Dyea and Haines, AlaskaHaines, AlaskaHaines is a census-designated place in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the area was 1,811. Haines was formerly a city but no longer has a municipal government...
to the YukonYukonYukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. The southern slopes of the mountain is in Alaska, while about a third of the mountain is in British Columbia, with the summit wholly within British Columbia - The highest mountain fully within British Columbia is Mount WaddingtonMount WaddingtonMount Waddington, once known as Mystery Mountain, is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Although Mount Fairweather and Mount Quincy Adams, which straddle the US border between Alaska and British Columbia are taller, Mount Waddington is the highest peak that lies...
, 4019 m (13,186 ft) at 51°22′20"N 125°15′44"W. - The lowest points in British Columbia are in the City of RichmondRichmond, British ColumbiaRichmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, and are c.6 ft below sea level, due to dyking and drainage systems. There are no natural formations in British Columbia below sea level.
See also
- List of Boundary Peaks of the Alaska – British Columbia/Yukon border
- List of peaks on the British Columbia-Alberta border