Vancouver Island is a large, relatively sparsely populated area which encompasses Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, as well as a portion of the coastal mainland. Condé Nast Traveler magazine's 2009 Readers' Choice Awards ranked Vancouver Island second in the "Top Islands of North America" category. Van Isle has one of the world's most diverse ecosystems that includes rainforests, marshes, meadows, beaches, mountains, oceans, rivers - all of which create habitats for multitudes of wildlife species. Vancouver Island - especially the island's west coast - is one of the world's top locations for whale watching, bird-watching, salmon and trout sport fishing and exploring by RV.
Taking a ferry ride, Vancouver Island is bordered on the east by the Vancouver Coast region and to the south by Washington State.