Juan De Fuca Strait
Pacific gateways through the Salish Sea
Nations 16
The Geography
Juan de Fuca Strait follows the broad channel between Vancouver Island and Washington State, continuing into the island-filled Salish Sea. Its unusually wide 3000×1100 frame is almost evenly divided between land and water, with 16 starts around Victoria, the Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound and the Canadian coast.
The History
Coast Salish peoples have lived around these waters for millennia. Spanish and British expeditions charted the strait in the late eighteenth century, and the 1846 Oregon Treaty drew the international boundary through the region while leaving Vancouver Island under British control.
The Battlefield
The long central strait is both barrier and highway. Peninsula tips can anchor strong fronts, but the San Juan Islands and inner sounds create alternative crossings. In three-team games, each shore has room to develop before pressure converges near the maritime centre. Protect the entrances to your home waters and use ports to shorten the enormous east-west distances.