Saanich (/ˈsænɪtʃ/ SAN-itch) is a district municipality on the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, within the Greater Victoria area.

[2] With an area of 103.44 square kilometres (39.94 sq mi), Saanich is also the largest municipality in Greater Victoria.

[3] Saanich contains a mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas stretching north to the Saanich Peninsula with a wide variety of features including ocean coastlines, freshwater lakes, small rivers, small mountains, rainforests, and agriculture ranging from hay to vineyards.The municipality's topography is undulating with many glacially scoured rock outcroppings.

The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory telescope was designed by John Stanley Plaskett, an astronomer with the Department of the Interior in Ottawa.

[citation needed] Saanich is divided into twelve local areas for planning purposes.

[5] In addition, there are a number of community associations in the municipality that represent neighbourhoods largely overlapping with the local areas.