British Empire Range

Last updated
British Empire Range
Quttinirtaaq 1 1997-08-05.jpg
British Empire Range, to the north of Tanquary Fiord
Highest point
PeakBarbeau Peak
Elevation 2,616 m (8,583 ft)
Coordinates 81°54′30″N75°01′30″W / 81.90833°N 75.02500°W / 81.90833; -75.02500
Geography
Canada Nunavut location map-lambert proj3.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
British Empire Range
Location in Nunavut
CountryCanada
TerritoryNunavut
Range coordinates 82°21′N77°30′W / 82.350°N 77.500°W / 82.350; -77.500

The British Empire Range is a mountain range on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada. The range is one of the most northern ranges in the world [1] and the Arctic Cordillera, surpassed only by the Challenger Mountains [2] which lies immediately to the northwest and the United States Range [3] slightly further east. The highest mountain in the range is Barbeau Peak.

The range was named by Gordon Noel Humphreys during the Oxford University Ellesmere Land Expedition. Edward Shackleton, also a member of the party, claimed, in 1937, that Humphreys had done so because he was "a great imperialist".

Peaks of the range include:

Peakmetresfeet
Barbeau Peak 2,6168,583
Mount Whisler 2,5008,202
Mount Oxford 2,2107,250
Arrowhead Mountain 1,8606,102
Highpointer Peak 1,5855,200

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Canada</span>

Canada has a vast geography that occupies much of the continent of North America, sharing a land border with the contiguous United States to the south and the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest. Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. Greenland is to the northeast with a shared border on Hans Island. To the southeast Canada shares a maritime boundary with France's overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the last vestige of New France. By total area, Canada is the second-largest country in the world, after Russia. By land area alone, however, Canada ranks fourth, the difference being due to it having the world's largest proportion of fresh water lakes. Of Canada's thirteen provinces and territories, only two are landlocked while the other eleven all directly border one of three oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellesmere Island</span> Island of the Arctic Archipelago in Nunavut, Canada

Ellesmere Island is Canada's northernmost and third largest island, and the tenth largest in the world. It comprises an area of 196,236 km2 (75,767 sq mi), slightly smaller than Great Britain, and the total length of the island is 830 km (520 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbeau Peak</span> Mountain in Nunavut, Canada

Barbeau Peak is a mountain in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. Located on Ellesmere Island within Quttinirpaaq National Park, it is the highest mountain in Nunavut and the Canadian Arctic. The mountain was named in 1969 after Marius Barbeau, a Canadian anthropologist whose research into First Nations and Inuit cultures gained him international acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Range</span> Mountain range in Nunavut, Canada

The United States Range is one of the northernmost mountain ranges of the Arctic Cordillera and in the world, surpassed only by the Challenger Mountains to the northwest. The range is located in the northeastern region of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada, and is part of the Innuitian Mountains. The highest mountain in the range is Mount Eugene with an elevation of 1,860 metres (6,100 ft). The British Empire Range is immediately to the west of the United States Range.

Mount Eugene is the highest mountain of the United States Range on Ellesmere Island. Originally named "Mount Arthur Eugene" in 1883 by the States Army Signal Service during their Lady Franklin Bay expedition.

Mount Whisler is a mountain of the British Empire Range on Canada's Ellesmere Island. It is the second highest peak of the British Empire Range, of Ellesmere Island, and of the Arctic Cordillera. It is located about 12 km (7.5 mi) northeast of Barbeau Peak, the highest peak in the Cordillera. The Henrietta Nesmith Glacier completely surrounds Mount Whisler.

Gordon Noel Humphreys (1883–1966) was a British born surveyor, pilot, botanist, explorer and doctor. Originally trained as a surveyor, Humphreys worked in both Mexico and Uganda. During World War I he served as a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps, was shot down and spent his internment training himself in botany.

Geoffrey Francis Hattersley-Smith D.Phil, FRSC, FRGS, FAINA was an English-born Canadian geologist and glaciologist, recognized as a pioneering researcher of Northern Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innuitian Mountains</span> Mountain range in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, Canada

The Innuitian Mountains are a mountain range in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, Canada. They are part of the Arctic Cordillera and are largely unexplored, due to the hostile climate. They are named after the northern indigenous people, the Inuit. In some locations the Innuitian Mountains measure over 2,500 m (8,202 ft) in height, and 1,290 km (802 mi) in length. The highest point is Barbeau Peak on Ellesmere Island at 2,616 m (8,583 ft). There are no trees and minimal wildlife in the Innuitian Mountains due to the harsh cold climate as well as being located north of the Arctic tree line. This region is mostly barren with vast areas of permafrost. There are metallic mineral resources including iron and zinc and fossil fuel resources such as coal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic Cordillera</span> Terrestrial ecozone in northern Canada

The Arctic Cordillera is a terrestrial ecozone in northern Canada characterized by a vast, deeply dissected chain of mountain ranges extending along the northeastern flank of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from Ellesmere Island to the northeasternmost part of the Labrador Peninsula in northern Labrador and northern Quebec, Canada. It spans most of the eastern coast of Nunavut with high glaciated peaks rising through ice fields and some of Canada's largest ice caps, including the Penny Ice Cap on Baffin Island. It is bounded to the east by Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea while its northern portion is bounded by the Arctic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain peaks of Canada</span>

This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Odin</span> Mountain in Nunavut, Canada

Mount Odin is a mountain in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Auyuittuq National Park along the Akshayuk Pass, 46 km (29 mi) north of Pangnirtung and south of Mount Asgard. Mount Odin is the highest mountain on Baffin Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Challenger Mountains</span> Mountain range in Nunavut, Canada

The Challenger Mountains are a mountain range on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada. The range is the most northern range in the world and of the Arctic Cordillera. The highest mountain in the range is Commonwealth Mountain 2,225 m (7,300 ft). The United States Range is immediately to the east of the Challenger Mountains.

The Krieger Mountains are a mountain range near Oobloyah Bay in northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. The Kriegar Mountains contain Mesozoic stratigraphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conger Range</span> Mountain range in Nunavut, Canada

The Conger Range, also called the Conger Mountains, is a mountain range in Quttinirpaaq National Park on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, beginning about 16 km (10 mi) west of Mount Osborne. It is part of the Arctic Cordillera which is a vast dissected mountain system extending from Ellesmere Island to the northernmost tip of Labrador and northeastern Quebec. The Conger Range is a structural extension of the Garfield Range and continues into the highlands north of the head of Hare Fiord. The overall extent of the range is about 180 km (112 mi). Most of its peaks are ice-covered, although nearly all of the southern slopes are ice-free. Many of the valleys between the peaks are filled with glacial tongues spilling out to the south from the Grand Land Ice Cap. Its highest point is Mount Biederbick at 1,542 m (5,059 ft).

Sven Hedin Glacier is a glacier north of Princess Marie Bay on central Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. The glacier has the name of Sven Hedin. The Oxford University Ellesmere Land expedition visited the glacier in the year 1935. The Glacier appeared to be advancing in 1935.

References