Cape Chidley

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Cape Chidley
Cape Chudleigh
Canada Newfoundland and Labrador location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Cape Chidley
Location of Cape Chidley within Canada
Coordinates: 60°22′40″N64°26′02″W / 60.37778°N 64.43389°W / 60.37778; -64.43389 [1]
CountryCanada
Territory/Province Nunavut/Newfoundland and Labrador
Elevation
350 m (1,150 ft)
Time zone UTC−04:00 (AST)
  Summer (DST) UTC−03:00 (ADT)

Cape Chidley is a headland located on the eastern shore of Killiniq Island, Canada, at the northeastern tip of the Labrador Peninsula.

Contents

Cape Chidley was named by English explorer John Davis on August 1, 1587, after his friend and fellow explorer John Chidley. [3] On October 22, 1943, the German submarine U-537 landed just south of Cape Chidley and set up Weather Station Kurt to collect data about the weather.

In the original plans for the Pinetree Line (a series of radar stations along the 50th parallel north), Cape Chidley was meant to be the site for a long-range radar station called "N-30." Supplies were moved to the site by ship during 1951–52, but in late 1952–early 1953 the site was moved to Resolution Island. [4]

Location

Killiniq Island. Cape Chidley is located in the upper left quadrant Killiniq Island 02.jpg
Killiniq Island. Cape Chidley is located in the upper left quadrant
Aerial view of coastal cliffs of Cape Chidley, Cabot Island in the background with Button Islands visible in distance Labrador-chidley-uwm.png
Aerial view of coastal cliffs of Cape Chidley, Cabot Island in the background with Button Islands visible in distance

Sometimes spelled Cape Chudleigh, Cape Chidley is on the short boundary between the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the territory of Nunavut on Killiniq Island. It forms the northernmost point of Labrador.

The Dominion of Newfoundland, having been a separate country at the time that Canada's Arctic islands were assigned in this manner, shared a boundary with Canada on Killiniq Island. The territory of Labrador included the entire Atlantic watershed of the Labrador Peninsula and its islands.

Closeup map of Cape Chidley area CapeChidleyAreaMap.png
Closeup map of Cape Chidley area

The northern and western part of Killiniq Island (under Nunavut's jurisdiction) drains into Ungava Bay and the Hudson Strait. Thus Cape Chidley is also the terminus of the Laurentian Divide, which separates the Arctic Ocean watershed from the Atlantic Ocean watershed. (Some sources include Hudson Bay in the Atlantic Ocean watershed, though the Laurentian Divide has been long established and places Hudson Bay with the Arctic Ocean watershed.) The cape marks the south end of the entrance to the Hudson Strait, opposite Resolution Island.

The closest community to Cape Chidley was Port Burwell, Nunavut, until it was evacuated in 1978. Killiniq Island itself is separated from mainland North America by the narrow McLelan Strait.

The Torngat Mountains run along the coast of Labrador and terminate at Killiniq Island. The top of the knoll forming the headland at Cape Chidley has an elevation of 350 m (1,150 ft), making the cape considerably higher than either of its two flanking headlands.

The Cape Chidley Islands lie at the north end of the cape.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labrador</span> Mainland portion of Newfoundland and Labrador

Labrador is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its population. It is separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle. It is the largest and northernmost geographical region in the four Atlantic provinces.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Bay drainage basin</span> Drainage basin in Canada and the US which empties into Hudson Bay

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killiniq Island</span> Remote island in northeastern Canada

Killiniq Island is a remote island in southeastern Nunavut and northern Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Located at the extreme northern tip of Labrador between Ungava Bay and the Labrador Sea, it is notable in that it contains the only land border between Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador. Most other islands off the northern coast of Quebec and Labrador belong exclusively to Nunavut. Some cartographic sources do not correctly show the island's geopolitical boundaries; for instance, the Commission de toponymie du Québec seems to show it as belonging to Quebec.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Chidley Islands</span> Archipelago in Nunavut, Canada

The Cape Chidley Islands are members of the Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. They are located in the Labrador Sea at the south end of the entrance to the Hudson Strait, north of Killiniq Island's Cape Chidley, and separated from Killiniq Island by the MacGregor Strait.

A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape. Headlands are characterised by high, breaking waves, rocky shores, intense erosion, and steep sea cliff.

Bush Island is a small, remote island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Hudson Strait, 9.5 mi (15.3 km) off the north end of Killiniq Island, separated by Port Harvey, a small bay. It measures 2.5 mi (4.0 km) long and 1.2 mi (1.9 km) wide. The elevation is approximately 152 m (499 ft) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killiniq, Nunavut</span> Abandoned village in Nunavut, Canada

Killiniq is a former Inuit settlement, weather station, trading post, missionary post, fishing station, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police post on Killiniq Island. Previously within Labrador, and then the Northwest Territories, it is now situated within the borders of Nunavut. The community closed in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Burwell, Nunavut</span> Harbour in Nunavut, Canada

Port Burwell is a harbour on western Killiniq Island, formed as an arm of Ungava Bay, at the mouth of Hudson Strait. Previously within Labrador, and then the Northwest Territories, it is now situated within the borders of Nunavut, Canada. Cape Chidley is 25 miles (40 km) to the northeast. The community of Port Burwell lies on the shore at 60°25′30″N64°50′00″W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFS Resolution Island</span>

CFS Resolution Island (BAF-5) is a short-range radar site. It is located 593 miles (954 km) north-northwest of CFB Goose Bay, Labrador on Resolution Island, Nunavut. It is part of the North Warning System. During the Cold War, it was operated as part of the Pinetree Line network controlled by NORAD.

References

  1. "Cape Chidley". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  2. "Cape Chidley". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  3. The Voyages and Works of John Davis by Albert Hastings Markham, 1880 and The D.A. Nicholas Collection Cape Chidley Region Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine University of Calgary, 2009
  4. The Pinetree Line. The Mystery of Site N-30 Archived June 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Oct, 2002

Further reading