Juan de Fuca

American  

[wahn di fyoo-kuh, foo-] / ˈwɑn dɪ ˈfju kə, ˈfu- /

Canadian, Juan de Fuca Strait

noun

1. Strait of Juan de Fuca, a strait that is the main outlet from the Salish Sea to the Pacific Ocean, located between Vancouver Island and northwestern Washington State, with the Canadian-U.S. boundary running through its middle. 100 miles (160 km) long; 15–20 miles (24–32 km) wide.

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Juan de Fuca British  

/ ˈdʒuːən dɪ ˈfjuːkə, xwan de ˈfuka /

noun

1. a strait between Vancouver Island (Canada) and NW Washington (US). Length: about 129 km (80 miles). Width: about 24 km (15 miles)

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Etymology

Origin of Juan de Fuca

First recorded in 1780–90; named after Greek navigator Juan de Fuca (1536–1602), who sailed in a Spanish expedition in 1592 to seek the Strait of Anián (now known as the Strait of Juan de Fuca ) by English sea captain and trader Charles William Barkley (1759–1832)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Juan de Fuca

Researchers identified several large tears cutting through the Juan de Fuca plate, including one major fault where the plate has dropped by about five kilometers.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026

North of Cape Mendocino, California, the Juan de Fuca plate dives beneath North America along a megathrust subduction zone known as Cascadia.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2025

Ferries chug several times a day between Port Angeles’ artsy downtown and Victoria, British Columbia, about a 90-minute ride across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024

The shipping lane bends west at Victoria to exit the Salish Sea through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, passing Port Angeles and Neah Bay, Washington, on the way out to the Pacific Ocean.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2024

She holds her phone high above her head, pointed at the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the pale blue sky.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day