http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/native-people-northwest-coast
The Canadian portion of the Northwest Coast is a region of extremes in topography, from wide beaches to deep fjords and snow-capped mountains. Temperatures are moderate, the January mean above freezing and July less than 18° C. The northern coast and outer islands receive 155-655 cm of rain annually, and the protected Georgia Straits 65-175 cm, mostly in winter. Heavy coniferous forests thrive, and beaches and streams are lined with dense undergrowth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salish_Sea
The Salish Sea (/ˈseɪlɪʃ/ say-lish) is the intricate network of coastal waterways located between the south-western tip of theCanadian province of British Columbia, and the north-western tip of the U.S. state of Washington. Its major bodies of water are the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound. It reaches from Desolation Sound at the north end of the Strait of Georgia to Oakland Bay at the head of Hammersley Inlet at the south end of Puget Sound. The inland waterways of the Salish Sea are partially separated from the open Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula, and are thus partially shielded from Pacific Ocean storms. Major port cities on the Salish Sea include Seattle,Vancouver, Tacoma, Bellingham, and Victoria.
