According to the BCGNIS, the northern boundary of Queen Charlotte Strait is defined as a line running Cape Sutil, at the north end of Vancouver Island, to Cape Caution on the mainland. The southern end of Queen Charlotte Strait is described as "several narrow channels north and east of Malcolm Island".[1] The strait lies between the mainland and Vancouver Island portions of the Mount Waddington Regional District.
Queen Charlotte Strait was named for Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. There is some uncertainty over who gave the name. It might have been the British fur trader James Strange, or according to George Vancouver, Mr. S. Wedgeborough, commander of the Experiment in 1786. Vancouver adopted the name in his maps and journals. For some time Queen Charlotte Strait was called Queen Charlotte Sound, until 1920 when the BCGNIS and Hydrographic Service distinguished between Queen Charlotte Sound and Queen Charlotte Strait.[1]
