Captain George Vancouver's Pacific Northwest Expeditions (1791–1795)

Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver led a 4-year hydrographic survey (1791–1795) that produced the first accurate charts of the northwest Pacific coast from 30°N to 60°N.

Key Explorations & Namings

• Puget Sound (named for Lt. Peter Puget)
• Strait of Juan de Fuca (verified entrance)
• Gulf of Georgia (now Strait of Georgia)
• Queen Charlotte Sound (now Queen Charlotte Strait)
• King George Sound (now Nootka Sound)
• Mount Rainier (named for Adm. Peter Rainier)
• Mount Baker, Mount St. Helens (named for British peers)
• Admiralty Island, Whidbey Island (named for officers)
• Burrard Inlet (Vancouver, BC site)

Diplomatic Role

Negotiated the Nootka Convention (1794) with Spain, resolving territorial disputes and establishing British claims to the coast.

His charts remained authoritative for over a century.