The Great Plain of the Koukdjuak is located in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut within the Canadian Arctic. [1] It is the namesake of the Koukdjuak River in western Baffin Island on the southeastern coast of Foxe Basin. It stretches from Cory Bay to Hantzsch Bay, and then inland. [2]
The plain is about 120 mi (190 km) long, 60–90 mi (97–145 km) wide [3] and has an area of 15,777.98 km2 (6,091.91 sq mi). [4] It is characterized as a broad, flat, water-logged lowland with a tidal zone that may extend as far as 15 km (9.3 mi) inland. [4] The Plain's boundaries include raised beach ridges 25–80 km (16–50 mi) inland and granite outcrops to the south. Its tundra covers clay soils, limestone and shale bedrock. [4]
It is notable for migratory bird and wildlife (Barren-ground caribou crossing) habitat. The plain supports the largest goose colony in the world. It is a breeding ground or habitat for lesser snow geese, Canada geese, long-tailed ducks, king eider, common eider, and Atlantic brant. It is a natural habitat for shorebirds, such as the red phalarope. [4] It is classified as an Important Bird Area, an International Biological Program designated site and a Key Habitat Site. [4]
Baffin Island, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is 507,451 km2 (195,928 sq mi) with a population density of 0.03/km²; the population was 13,039 according to the 2021 Canadian census; and it is located at 68°N70°W. It also contains the city of Iqaluit, which is the capital of Nunavut.
Banks Island is one of the larger members of the Arctic Archipelago. Situated in the Inuvik Region, and part of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, of the Northwest Territories, it is separated from Victoria Island to its east by the Prince of Wales Strait and from the mainland by Amundsen Gulf to its south. The Beaufort Sea lies to its west, and to its northeast M'Clure Strait separates the island from Prince Patrick Island and Melville Island.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or Arctic Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States, on traditional Gwich'in lands. The refuge is 19,286,722 acres (78,050.59 km2) of the Alaska North Slope region, with a northern coastline and vast inland forest, taiga, and tundra regions. ANWR is the largest national wildlife refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is administered from offices in Fairbanks. ANWR is home to a diverse range of endemic mammal species; notably, it is one of the few North American locations with all three endemic American ursids—the polar bear, grizzly bear, and American black bear, each of which resides predominantly in its own ecological niche. Besides the bears, other mammal species include the moose, caribou, wolves, red and Arctic fox, Canada lynx, wolverine, pine marten, American beaver, and North American river otter. Further inland, mountain goats may be seen near the slope. Hundreds of species of migratory birds visit the refuge yearly, and it is a vital, protected breeding location for them. Snow geese, eiders and snowy owl may be observed as well.
Akimiski Island is the largest island in James Bay, Canada, which is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the territory of Nunavut. It has an area of 3,001 km2 (1,159 sq mi), making it the 163rd largest island in the world, and Canada's 29th largest island. Akimiski Island is 19 km (12 mi) from the province of Ontario. From the western side of the island, the Ontario coastline is visible.
Prince Leopold Island is an island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Lancaster Sound at the junction of Prince Regent Inlet and Barrow Strait. Somerset Island is situated 13 km (8.1 mi) to the southwest; Port Leopold, an abandoned trading post, is the closest landmark. The island is significant as a summer habitat and breeding ground for large populations of several arctic bird species.
Southern James Bay is a coastal wetland complex in northeastern Ontario, Canada bordering James Bay and Quebec. It was designated as a wetland of international importance via the Ramsar Convention on May 27, 1987. The shallow waters of the James Bay region represent an important late autumn staging area for migratory, Arctic-breeding waterbirds.
Dewey Soper Migratory Bird Sanctuary, or Dewey Soper, is a migratory bird sanctuary in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in western Baffin Island, from Bowman Bay to the Koukdjuak River, and is named in honour of zoologist J. Dewey Soper. It is an 8,159 km2 (3,150 sq mi) area that was classified a wetland of international importance via the Ramsar Convention on May 24, 1982. The bird sanctuary supports nearly 30% of the breeding geese in Canada, making it the largest goose colony in the world. Up to two million birds of various species use the area for summer nesting, and it is also "habitat for one of Canada's major barren-ground caribou herds". The sanctuary was established in 1957, and is subject to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, which defines and governs ownership, land use and hunting rights in the area.
Joseph Dewey Soper was a widely traveled Canadian Arctic ornithologist, explorer, zoologist, and prolific author.
The Koukdjuak River begins at the outlet of Nettilling Lake and empties into the Arctic Ocean. It is the namesake of the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak located in the Foxe Basin on western Baffin Island, Nunavut, northern Canada.
The Twin Islands are similarly shaped Arctic islands in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. They are located in central James Bay, 56 km (35 mi) north east of Akimiski Island, and 58 km (36 mi) west of Quebec. The group includes North Twin and South Twin islands.
The uninhabited Plover Islands are an archipelago, members of the Arctic Archipelago and the Ungava Bay Archipelago, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. They are located in western Ungava Bay, just northeast of the Arnaud River and the community of Kangirsuk on Quebec's Ungava Peninsula.
Bowman Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary on western Baffin Island within part of the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak in Northern Canada's territory of Nunavut. It is classified as Category IV under the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The uninhabited Cheyne Islands are members of the Queen Elizabeth Islands and the Arctic Archipelago in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. The group is made up of three islands known as North Island, Middle Island, and South Island. Located approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) off eastern Bathurst Island, they are situated near Reindeer Bay within western Penny Strait.
The Salikuit Islands are an uninhabited island group in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. The 103 island archipelago is located in eastern Hudson Bay between the Belcher Islands and the western coast of Quebec. The closest communities are the Inuit hamlets of Umiujaq, Quebec, 60 km to the east on the coast of Hudson Bay, and Sanikiluaq, 75 km (47 mi) to the west on Flaherty Island.
The uninhabited Payne Islands are an archipelago, members of the Arctic Archipelago and the Ungava Bay Archipelago, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. They are located in Payne Bay, a waterway in western Ungava Bay, just east of the Arnaud River and the community of Kangirsuk on Quebec's Ungava Peninsula.
The East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a migratory bird sanctuary in Kivalliq, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in East Bay, an arm of Hudson Bay, in southeast Southampton Island. The nearest community is Coral Harbour, 44 mi (71 km) to the west. It is one of two bird sanctuaries on the island, the other being the Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary, situated 87 mi (140 km) to the southwest.
Bowman Bay is an Arctic waterway in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the Foxe Basin by northeastern Foxe Peninsula off Baffin Island. The nearest community is Cape Dorset, situated 204 km (127 mi) to the south, while Nuwata, a former settlement, is situated to the west.
The Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary (KIBS) is a migratory bird sanctuary in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on Kendall Island and its surrounding area in Mackenzie Bay at the northern tip of the Mackenzie River Delta. A seasonal sanctuary for more than 60,000 shorebirds, it is one of five bird sanctuaries within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The area that is now known as the KIBS is a traditional Inuvialuit whaling site.
Cape Parry is a headland in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located at the northern tip of the Parry Peninsula, it projects into Amundsen Gulf. The nearest settlement is Paulatuk, 100 km (62 mi) to the south, and Fiji Island is located 9 km (5.6 mi) to the west. Cape Parry was formerly accessible through Cape Parry Airport that was located at the Distant Early Warning Line. The airport was listed as abandoned after the closure of the DEW line site.
The Low Arctic tundra ecoregion covers a rolling landscape of shrubby tundra vegetation along the northern edge of the mainland Canada along the border of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and a small portion in Quebec on the northeast coast of Hudson Bay. The region is important for large herds of caribou and other large mammals, and for large nesting colonies of birds such as snow geese. The region is mostly intact, with 95% remaining intact.