Anvil Island, also often called Hat Island, is the third-largest of the islands in Howe Sound

Howe Sound

Howe Sound is a roughly triangular sound, actually a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver.-Geography:Howe Sound's mouth at the Strait of Georgia is situated between West Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast. The sound is triangular shaped, open on its southeast towards the...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, and the northernmost of the major islands in that sound. It is located northeast of Gambier Island

Gambier Island

Gambier Island is an island located in Howe Sound near Vancouver, British Columbia. It is about 17,000 acres in size and is located about 10 km north of the Horseshoe Bay community and ferry terminal in westernmost West Vancouver....

 and southwest of Britannia Beach and west of Porteau Cove. The Defence Islands

Defence Islands

The Defence Islands are two small islands in Howe Sound, British Columbia, Canada, located northeast of Anvil Island and in the northern reaches of that sound near Porteau Cove. The easterly and smaller of the two comprises Defence Island Indian Reserve No. 28, 1.7 ha., the westerly comprises the...

 are to its northeast and are Indian Reserves of the Squamish Nation. A summer camp, Daybreak Point Bible Camp, operates on the south of the island, and some summer homes are located there.

Name origin

The name was conferred on June 14, 1792 by Captain George Vancouver

George Vancouver

Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...

, whose journal for the day reads:

"The sun shining at this time for a few minutes afforded an island which, from the shape of the mountain that composes it, obtained the name of Anvil island."

Terrain

The island is essentially one large near-conical mountain, with a platform/ledge plateau on the north side of the summit, leading to the comparison to an anvil. From other directions it appears to be a conical hat, hence its nickname. Leading Peak 765 m (2510 ft) is the summit of the island.