Parker Island is a roughly 400 acres (161.9 ha) island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in the Southern Gulf Islands

Gulf Islands

The Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia , between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada....

 of British Columbia

British Columbia

British 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...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It forms the western side of Montague Harbour

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located on Galiano Island, one of the Gulf Islands off BC's South Coast in Canada. It is accessible by BC ferries from Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island or Tsawwassen on the Mainland...

, sheltering it from the strong wind gusts of Trincomali Channel

Trincomali Channel

Trincomali Channel is a channel or strait in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, located between Saltspring Island and Galiano Island . It is named for HMS Trincomalee which was assigned to the Royal Navy's Pacific Station at Esquimalt in the 19th Century....

. The island may be reached by floatplane, private boat or water taxi; there is no public ferry service.

On Parker Island, there is a cable terminal of HVDC Vancouver Island

HVDC Vancouver Island

The HVDC Vancouver Island is the name for HVDC interconnection between the Vancouver Island Terminal near North Cowichan, British Columbia on Vancouver Island at and the Arnott Substation near Delta, British Columbia at on the Canadian mainland, which went into operation in 1968 and was...

, which is the endpoint of the second overhead line section of HVDC Vancouver Island starting at the east coast of Galiano Island

Galiano Island

Galiano Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Located on the west side of the Strait of Georgia, it is 27.5 km long, 6 km at its widest point, and 1.6 km across at its narrowest point and is separated...

 and which reaches Parker Island in a 880 metres (2,887.1 ft) long span.

Parker Island is named after Lieutenant George Ferdinand Hastings Parker of the HMS Ganges

HMS Ganges (1821)

HMS Ganges was an 84-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 10 November 1821 at Bombay Dockyard, constructed from teak...

, flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

's Pacific Station

Pacific Station

The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...

, which was based in Esquimalt.

Parker Island has approximately 25 residents. Half of these residents live there part-time, due to the island's rustic grounds and harsh weather conditions.