![]() Polar projection map of the Arctic Archipelago | |
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Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Northern Canada |
Coordinates | 75°N90°W / 75°N 90°W |
Total islands | 36,563 |
Major islands | Baffin Island, Victoria Island, Ellesmere Island |
Area | 1,407,770 [1] km2 (543,540 sq mi) |
Administration | |
Canada | |
Territories and province | Nunavut Northwest Territories Yukon Newfoundland and Labrador |
Largest settlement | Iqaluit, Nunavut(pop. 7,429 [2] ) |
Demographics | |
Population | 23,073 (2021 [2] [3] ) |
Pop. density | 0.0098/km2 (0.0254/sq mi) |
The Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago lying to the north of the Canadian continental mainland, excluding Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark, by itself, much larger than the combined area of the archipelago) and Iceland (an independent country)
Situated in the northern extremity of North America and covering about 1,424,500 km2 (550,000 sq mi), this group of 36,563 islands, surrounded by the Arctic Ocean, comprises much of Northern Canada, predominately Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. [4] The archipelago is showing some effects of climate change, [5] [6] with some computer estimates determining that melting there will contribute 3.5 cm (1.4 in) to the rise in sea levels by 2100. [7]
Around 2500 BCE, the first humans, the Paleo-Eskimos, arrived in the archipelago from the Canadian mainland. Between 1000 and 1500 CE, they were replaced by the Thule people, who are the ancestors of today's Inuit.
British claims on the islands, the British Arctic Territories, were based on the explorations in the 1570s by Martin Frobisher. Canadian sovereignty was originally (1870–80) only over island portions that drained into Foxe Basin, Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait. Canadian sovereignty over the islands was established by 1880 when Britain transferred them to Canada. [8] The District of Franklin – established in 1895 – comprised almost all of the archipelago. The district was dissolved upon the creation of Nunavut in 1999. Canada claims all the waterways of the Northwest Passage as Canadian Internal Waters; however, most maritime countries view these as international waters. [9] [ failed verification ] Disagreement over the passages' status has raised Canadian concerns about environmental enforcement, national security, and general sovereignty. East of Ellesmere Island, in the Nares Strait, lies Hans Island, ownership of which is now shared between Canada and Denmark, after a decades-long dispute. [10] [11] [12]
The archipelago extends some 2,400 km (1,500 mi) longitudinally and 1,900 km (1,200 mi) from the mainland to Cape Columbia, the northernmost point on Ellesmere Island. It is bounded on the west by the Beaufort Sea; on the northwest by the Arctic Ocean; on the east by Greenland, Baffin Bay and Davis Strait; and on the south by Hudson Bay and the Canadian mainland. The various islands are separated from each other and the continental mainland by a series of waterways collectively known as the Northwest Passage. Two large peninsulas, Boothia and Melville, extend northward from the mainland. The northernmost cluster of islands, including Ellesmere Island, is known as the Queen Elizabeth Islands and was formerly the Parry Islands.
The archipelago consists of 36,563 islands, of which 94 are classified as major islands, being larger than 130 km2 (50 sq mi), and cover a total area of 1,400,000 km2 (540,000 sq mi). [13] The islands of the archipelago over 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi), in order of descending area, are:
Name | Location* | Area | Area rank | Population (2021) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
World | Canada | ||||
Baffin Island | NU | 507,451 km2 (195,928 sq mi) | 5 | 1 | 13,039 [2] |
Victoria Island | NT, NU | 217,291 km2 (83,897 sq mi) | 8 | 2 | 2,168 [2] [3] |
Ellesmere Island | NU | 196,236 km2 (75,767 sq mi) | 10 | 3 | 144 [2] |
Banks Island | NT | 70,028 km2 (27,038 sq mi) | 24 | 5 | 104 [3] |
Devon Island | NU | 55,247 km2 (21,331 sq mi) | 27 | 6 | 0 |
Axel Heiberg Island | NU | 43,178 km2 (16,671 sq mi) | 32 | 7 | 0 |
Melville Island | NT, NU | 42,149 km2 (16,274 sq mi) | 33 | 8 | 0 |
Southampton Island | NU | 41,214 km2 (15,913 sq mi) | 34 | 9 | 1,038 [2] |
Prince of Wales Island | NU | 33,339 km2 (12,872 sq mi) | 40 | 10 | 0 |
Somerset Island | NU | 24,786 km2 (9,570 sq mi) | 46 | 12 | 0 |
Bathurst Island | NU | 16,042 km2 (6,194 sq mi) | 54 | 13 | 0 |
Prince Patrick Island | NT | 15,848 km2 (6,119 sq mi) | 55 | 14 | 0 |
King William Island | NU | 13,111 km2 (5,062 sq mi) | 61 | 15 | 1,349 [2] |
Ellef Ringnes Island | NU | 11,295 km2 (4,361 sq mi) | 69 | 16 | 0 |
Bylot Island | NU | 11,067 km2 (4,273 sq mi) | 72 | 17 | 0 |
* NT = Northwest Territories, NU = Nunavut
After Greenland, the archipelago is the world's largest high-Arctic land area. The climate of the islands is Arctic, and the terrain consists of tundra except in mountainous regions. Most of the islands are uninhabited; human settlement is extremely thin and scattered, being mainly coastal Inuit settlements on the southern islands.
Community | Island | Region, territory | Population [2] [3] |
---|---|---|---|
Arctic Bay | Baffin Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 944 |
Clyde River | Baffin Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 1,181 |
Iqaluit | Baffin Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 7,429 |
Kimmirut | Baffin Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 426 |
Pangnirtung | Baffin Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 1,504 |
Pond Inlet | Baffin Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 1,555 |
Sachs Harbour | Banks Island | Inuvik, NT | 104 |
Qikiqtarjuaq | Broughton Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 593 |
Resolute | Cornwallis Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 183 |
Kinngait | Dorset Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 1,396 |
Grise Fiord | Ellesmere Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 144 |
Sanikiluaq | Flaherty Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 1,010 |
Igloolik | Igloolik Island | Qikiqtaaluk, NU | 2,049 |
Gjoa Haven | King William Island | Kitikmeot, NU | 1,349 |
Coral Harbour | Southampton Island | Kivalliq, NU | 1,038 |
Cambridge Bay | Victoria Island | Kitikmeot, NU | 1,760 |
Ulukhaktok | Victoria Island | Inuvik, NT | 408 |
Total | 23,073 |
Of the more than 36,000 islands, only 11 are populated. Baffin Island, the largest, also has the largest population of 13,309. [2] The population accounts for 67.37 per cent of the 19,355 people in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, 56.51 per cent of the population of the Arctic Archipelago, and 35.38 per cent of the population of Nunavut. [2] [3]
Island | Population [2] [3] | Area [1] [14] [15] (km2) | Area (sq mi) | Density (km2) | Density (sq mi) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baffin Island | 13,039 | 507,451 | 315,315 | 0.026 | 0.067 |
Banks Island | 104 | 70,028 | 43,513 | 0.001 | 0.004 |
Broughton Island | 593 | 127.6 | 79.3 | 4.647 | 12.037 |
Cornwallis Island | 183 | 6,995 | 4,346 | 0.026 | 0.068 |
Dorset Island | 1,396 | 21 | 8 | 174.500 | 67.375 |
Ellesmere Island | 144 | 196,236 | 121,935 | 0.001 | 0.002 |
Flaherty Island | 1,010 | 1,585 | 985 | 0.637 | 1.650 |
Igloolik Island | 2,049 | 114.5 | 71.1 | 17.895 | 46.348 |
King William Island | 1,349 | 13,111 | 8,147 | 0.103 | 0.266 |
Southampton Island | 1,038 | 41,214 | 25,609 | 0.103 | 0.266 |
Victoria Island | 2,168 | 217,291 | 135,018 | 0.010 | 0.026 |
Victoria Island is a large island in the Arctic Archipelago that straddles the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the eighth-largest island in the world, and at 217,291 km2 (83,897 sq mi)1 in area, it is Canada's second-largest island. It is nearly double the size of Newfoundland (111,390 km2 [43,010 sq mi]), and is slightly larger than the island of Great Britain (209,331 km2 [80,823 sq mi]) but smaller than Honshu (225,800 km2 [87,200 sq mi]). The western third of the island lies in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories; the remainder is part of Nunavut's Kitikmeot Region. The population of 2,168 is divided between two settlements, the larger of which is Cambridge Bay (Nunavut) and the other Ulukhaktok.
Baffin Bay, located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is sometimes considered a sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea. The narrower Nares Strait connects Baffin Bay with the Arctic Ocean. The bay is not navigable most of the year because of the ice cover and high density of floating ice and icebergs in the open areas. However, a polynya of about 80,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi), known as the North Water, opens in summer on the north near Smith Sound. Most of the aquatic life of the bay is concentrated near that region.
This is a list of the extreme points of the United Kingdom: the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location. Traditionally the extent of the island of Great Britain has stretched "from Land's End to John o' Groats".
The northernmost point of land within the boundaries of Canada is Cape Columbia, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut 83.111°N 69.972°W. The northernmost point of the Canadian mainland is Zenith Point on Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut 72.002°N 94.655°W. The southernmost point is Middle Island, in Lake Erie, Ontario ; the southernmost water point lies just south of the island, on the Ontario–Ohio border (41°40′35″N). The southernmost point of the Canadian mainland is Point Pelee, Ontario 41.909°N 82.509°W. The lowest point is sea level at 0 m, whilst the highest point is Mount Logan, Yukon, at 5,959 m / 19,550 ft 60.567°N 140.405°W.
Tucker Glacier is a major valley glacier of Victoria Land, Antarctica, about 90 nautical miles long, flowing southeast between the Admiralty Mountains and the Victory Mountains to the Ross Sea. There is a snow saddle at the glacier's head, just west of Homerun Range, from which the Ebbe Glacier flows northwestward.
The Jones Mountains are an isolated group of mountains, trending generally east–west for 27 nautical miles, situated on the Eights Coast, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica, about 50 nautical miles south of Dustin Island.
The Hauberg Mountains are a group of mountains of about 35 nautical miles extent, located 12 nautical miles north of Cape Zumberge and 30 nautical miles south of the Sweeney Mountains in eastern Ellsworth Land, Antarctica.
Bear Peninsula is a peninsula about 50 nautical miles long and 25 nautical miles wide which is ice-covered except for several isolated rock bluffs and outcrops along its margins, lying 3 nautical miles east of Martin Peninsula on Walgreen Coast, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica.
The Getz Ice Shelf is an ice shelf over 300 nautical miles long and from 20 to 60 nautical miles wide, bordering the Hobbs Coast and Bakutis Coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, between the McDonald Heights and Martin Peninsula. Several large islands are partially or wholly embedded in the ice shelf.
The team dressage event, part of the equestrian program at the 2004 Summer Olympics, used the results of the first round of the individual dressage to award rankings. That round was held on 20 August and 21 August 2004 at the Olympic Equestrian Centre on the outskirts of Markópoulo, in the Attica region of Greece. Like all other equestrian events, the dressage competition was mixed gender, with both male and female athletes competing in the same division. 10 teams, each consisting of four horse and rider pairs, entered the contest.
The Ford Ranges are a collection of mountain groups and ranges standing east of Sulzberger Ice Shelf and Block Bay in the northwest part of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica.
M'Clure Bay is a Peel Soundmap waterway in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located on the western side of Somerset Island,map between Aston Baymap and Birmingham Baymap.
The borders of the oceans are the limits of Earth's oceanic waters. The definition and number of oceans can vary depending on the adopted criteria. The principal divisions of the five oceans are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern (Antarctic) Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. Smaller regions of the oceans are called seas, gulfs, bays, straits, and other terms. Geologically, an ocean is an area of oceanic crust covered by water.
Carroll Inlet is an inlet, 40 nautical miles long and 6 nautical miles wide, trending southeast along the coast of Ellsworth Land, Antarctica, between the Rydberg Peninsula and Smyley Island. The head of the inlet is divided into two arms by the presence of Case Island and is bounded to the east by Stange Ice Shelf.
Stange Sound is a sound about 60 nautical miles long and 25 nautical miles wide along the coast of Ellsworth Land, Antarctica. An ice shelf occupies the sound, which is bounded on the west by Smyley Island and Case Island, on the south by the mainland, on the east by Spaatz Island and on the north by open water in the Ronne Entrance. Photographed from the air and roughly plotted by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition under Finn Ronne. Named for Henry Stange of New York, a contributor to RARE who gave much time to assisting in preparations for the expedition.
Parborlasia corrugatus is a proboscis worm in the family Lineidae. It was formerly placed in family Cerebratulidae. This species of proboscis or ribbon worm can grow to 2 metres in length, and lives in marine environments down to 3,590 metres (11,780 ft). This scavenger and predator is widely distributed in cold southern oceans.
Bacteridium bermudense is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies. The species remains within the Bacteridium genus of gastropods, with the exception of the other three related species being Bacteridium carinatum, Bacteridium resticulum and Bacteridium vittatum.