Jennifer Wicks, age 13, of New Bedford, Mass., for her question:

HOW DID THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA GET ITS NAME?

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a narrow body of water which separates Vancouver Island of Canada from the state of Washington. The strait was named for a Greek navigator in the service of Spain.

The strait, with Puget Sound on the south and the Strait of George on the north, forms an important waterway through which ships pass to the Pacific Ocean from Seattle, Wash., and from Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. The strait is about 100 miles long and 11 to 17 miles wide.

For many years, the United States and Great Britain disputed the ownership of the island of San Juan, at the eastern end of the strait. Wilhelm I, Emperor of Germany, arbitrated the dispute in 1872 and decided the island should belong to Washington. It became part of the U.S. after that.

The Strait of Juan de Fuca actually links Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. Puget Sound extends southward for about 35 miles before it divides into two main branches, Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal.