The island is 460 kilometers (290 mi) in length and 80 kilometers (50 mi) in width at its widest point. It is the largest island on the western side of North America at 32,134 km2 (12,407.0 sq mi) and the world's 43rd largest island, Canada's 11th largest island and Canada's second most populous island after the Island of Montreal, which has 1.3 million more people.

British Columbia statistics on July 1st 2016 estimated the population at 1,098,352. Nearly third of these (331,491) live in Greater Victoria.

Vancouver Island - Victoria & the Gulf Islands boast the mildest climate in Canada. Summertime is reliably warm and sunny, with frequent ocean breezes. Temperatures reach average highs in the high 20 s Celsius (75 to 90 Fahrenheit) but evenings can be cool. In winter the Vancouver Island region is the most temperate of all British Columbia, with temperatures just below 0 Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) to 10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit)