Prince Rupert, city (1991 pop. 16,620), W British Columbia, Canada, on Kaien Island, in Chatham Sound near the mouth of the Skeena River, S of the Alaska border. A railroad and highway terminus and an ice-free port, it serves the mining, lumber, and agricultural areas of central and W British Columbia. A containerized shipping terminal, opened in 2007, also enables the port to serve as an intermodal transshipment center to interior North America. Prince Rupert is a major fish-processing center, and there are wood-processing plants. The city's growth dates from the arrival (1914) of the railroad. During World War II the city was a major supply base for U.S. forces in Alaska.
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