List of islands in the Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, with borders as delineated by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), including Hudson Bay (some of which is south of 57°N latitude, off the map) and all other marginal seas.

These islands of the Arctic Ocean can be classified by the country that controls the territory.

Canada

The islands of the Canadian Arctic over 5,000 km² (1,900 sq mi), in order of descending area, are: ^[1] As of 2021 ^[update] the total population of all islands in the Arctic was 23,073. ^{[2] [3]}

Name (group)	Location	Area [1]		Area rank		Pop (2021 [2] [3] )	Notes	Coordinates
		km2	sqmi	World	Canada
Baffin Island	Nunavut	507,451	195,928	5	1	13,039	Population does not include Kinngait and Qikiqtarjuaq. Both lie on small islands just off the coast of Baffin Island	68°N70°W / 68°N 70°W / 68; -70 (Baffin Island) [4]
Victoria Island	Northwest Territories , Nunavut	217,291	83,897	8	2	2,168	Contains the world's largest island within an island within an island [5]	70°25′N107°45′W / 70.417°N 107.750°W / 70.417; -107.750 (Victoria Island) [6]
Ellesmere Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Nunavut	196,236	75,767	10	3	144	Population includes Grise Fiord, Alert (Canada’s two most northerly communities) and Eureka [7]	79°50′N78°00′W / 79.833°N 78.000°W / 79.833; -78.000 (Ellesmere Island) [8]
Banks Island	Northwest Territories	70,028	27,038	24	5	104	The summer home to hundreds of thousands of migratory birds who nest at Banks Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary No. 1 and Banks Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary No. 2 [9] [10]	72°45′02″N121°30′10″W / 72.75056°N 121.50278°W / 72.75056; -121.50278 (Banks Island) [11]
Devon Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Nunavut	55,247	21,331	27	6	0	The largest uninhabited island on Earth [12]	75°15′N088°00′W / 75.250°N 88.000°W / 75.250; -88.000 (Devon Island) [13]
Axel Heiberg Island (Sverdrup Islands, Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Nunavut	43,178	16,671	32	7	0	Known for its unusual fossil forests, which date from the Eocene period [14]	79°45′N091°00′W / 79.750°N 91.000°W / 79.750; -91.000 (Axel Heiberg Island) [15]
Melville Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Northwest Territories, Nunavut	42,149	16,274	33	8	0	The most northerly report of a grizzly bear sighting occurred here in 2003 [16]	75°30′02″N111°30′09″W / 75.50056°N 111.50250°W / 75.50056; -111.50250 (Melville Island) [17]
Southampton Island	Nunavut	41,214	15,913	34	9	1,038	One of the few Canadian areas, and the only area in Nunavut, that does not use daylight saving time [18]	64°20′N084°40′W / 64.333°N 84.667°W / 64.333; -84.667 (Southampton Island) [19]
Prince of Wales Island	Nunavut	33,339	12,872	40	10	0	North of North is set in the fictional town of Ice Cove, which is situated here [20]	72°40′N99°00′W / 72.667°N 99.000°W / 72.667; -99.000 (Prince of Wales Island) [21]
Somerset Island	Nunavut	24,786	9,570	46	12	0	Home of Fort Ross (1937-1948), the last trading post established by the Hudson's Bay Company [22]	73°15′N93°30′W / 73.250°N 93.500°W / 73.250; -93.500 (Somerset Island) [23]
Bathurst Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Nunavut	16,042	6,194	54	13	0	Home of Brooman Point Village, Qausuittuq National Park, and the Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area [24] [25] [26]	75°45′N100°00′W / 75.750°N 100.000°W / 75.750; -100.000 (Bathurst Island) [27]
Prince Patrick Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Northwest Territories, Nunavut	15,848	6,119	55	14	0	Mould Bay Weather Station, part of the Joint Arctic Weather Station system between Canada and the United States opened in 1948 [28]	76°45′02″N119°30′12″W / 76.75056°N 119.50333°W / 76.75056; -119.50333 (Prince Patrick Island) [29]
King William Island	Nunavut	13,111	5,062	61	15	1,349	Sir John Franklin’s two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, were found in what is now the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site [30]	69°10′N97°25′W / 69.167°N 97.417°W / 69.167; -97.417 (King William Island) [31]
Ellef Ringnes Island (Sverdrup Islands, Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Nunavut	11,295	4,361	68	16	0	Isachsen, opened in 1948, formerly staffed weather station, but now an Automated Surface Observing System [28]	78°30′N102°15′W / 78.500°N 102.250°W / 78.500; -102.250 (Ellef Ringnes Island) [32]
Bylot Island	Nunavut	11,067	4,273	71	17	0	Sirmilik National Park is located on the island [33]	73°13′N78°34′W / 73.217°N 78.567°W / 73.217; -78.567 (Bylot Island) [34]
Prince Charles Island	Nunavut	9,521	3,676	77	19	0	Uninhabited, however Inuit visited the island to hunt caribou [35]	67°47′N76°12′W / 67.783°N 76.200°W / 67.783; -76.200 (Prince Charles Island) [36]
Cornwallis Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Nunavut	6,995	2,701	97	21	183	Resolute, the only community, was established in 1953 by forced migration know as the High Arctic relocation [37]	75°08′N95°00′W / 75.133°N 95.000°W / 75.133; -95.000 (Cornwallis Island) [38]
Coats Island	Nunavut	5,498	2,123	107	24	0	The last home of the Sadlermiut [39]	62°30′N083°00′W / 62.500°N 83.000°W / 62.500; -83.000 (Coats Island) [40]
Amund Ringnes Island (Sverdrup Islands Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Nunavut	5,255	2,029	111	25	0		78°20′N96°25′W / 78.333°N 96.417°W / 78.333; -96.417 (Amund Ringnes Island) [41]
Mackenzie King Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands)	Northwest Territories, Nunavut	5,048	1,949	116	26	0		78°02′N109°50′W / 78.033°N 109.833°W / 78.033; -109.833 (Mackenzie King Island) [42]

Other notable islands in the Canadian portion of the Arctic Ocean include:

• Hans Island (uninhabited 80°49′35″N66°27′30″W / 80.82639°N 66.45833°W / 80.82639; -66.45833 (Hans Island) ^[43] ), shared with Denmark, the Danish Realm / Greenland ^{[44] [45]}
• Herschel Island (unihabitied 69°35′23″N139°05′57″W / 69.58972°N 139.09917°W / 69.58972; -139.09917 ^[46] ), located in the Beaufort Sea, part of the Yukon but also part of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region ^[47]

Inhabited islands are:

• Broughton Island (population 593, ^[2] 67°34′N063°54′W / 67.567°N 63.900°W / 67.567; -63.900 (Broughton Island) ^[48] )
• Dorset Island (population 1,396, ^[2] 64°12′N76°32′W / 64.200°N 76.533°W / 64.200; -76.533 (Dorset Island) ^[49] )
• Flaherty Island (population 1,010, ^[2] 56°14′N079°17′W / 56.233°N 79.283°W / 56.233; -79.283 (Flaherty Island) ^[50] )
• Igloolik Island (population 2,049, ^[2] 69°23′N81°40′W / 69.383°N 81.667°W / 69.383; -81.667 (Igloolik Island) ^[51] )

Denmark

• Greenland, an autonomous territory ^{[52] [53]} in the Danish Realm
  • Clavering Island
  • Disko Island
  • Geographical Society Island
  • Hans Island (shared with Canada) ^{[44] [45]}
  • Kaffeklubben Island
  • Milne Land
  • Nares Land
  • Shannon Island
  • Traill Island
  • Ymer Island

Iceland

• Iceland (northern coast)
  • Æðey
  • Drangey
  • Flatey, Skjálfandi
  • Grímsey
  • Hrísey
  • Kolbeinsey
  • Málmey
  • Vigur

Norway

• Bear Island
• Jan Mayen
• Svalbard Archipelago:
  • Barentsøya
    • Alekseevøya
    • Kükenthaløya
  • Edgeøya
    • Halvmåneøya
    • Ryke Yseøyane
    • Thousand Islands
    • Zeiløyane
  • Hopen
  • Kong Karls Land
    • Abel Island
    • Kongsøya
    • Svenskøya
  • Kvitøya (White Island)
  • Nordaustlandet
    • Chermsideøya
    • Foynøya
    • Karl XII-øya
    • Lågøya
    • Nordre Castrénøya and Søre Castrénøya
    • Repøyane
    • Sabine Islands
    • Scoresbyøya
    • Storøya
  • Prins Karls Forland
  • Spitsbergen
    • Amsterdam Island
    • Danes Island
    • Fuglesangen
    • Moffen
    • Nymark
    • Sørkappøya
    • Wilhelm Island
  • Sjuøyane
    • Martensøya
    • Nelsonøya
    • Parryøya
    • Phippsøya
    • Rossøya
    • Tavleøya
    • Vesle Tavleøya
    • Waldenøya
    • Hinnoya

Russia

Russian Arctic islands

• Dikson Island
• Franz Josef Land
  • Bell Island
  • Graham Bell Island
  • Hooker Island
  • Jackson Island
  • Northbrook Island
  • Rudolf Island
  • Wilczek Island
  • Zemlya Aleksandry
  • Zemlya Georga
• Great Diomede Island
• New Siberian Islands
  • Anzhu Islands
    • Belkovsky Island
    • Kotelny/Faddeyevsky Island (including the island of 'Bunge Land')
    • New Siberia
  • Lyakhovsky Islands
    • Great Lyakhovsky Island
    • Little Lyakhovsky Island
  • Semyonovsky Island
  • Stolbovoy Island
• Novaya Zemlya
  • Mezhdusharskiy Island
  • Severny Island
  • Vaygach Island
  • Yuzhny Island
• Severnaya Zemlya
  • October Revolution Island
  • Bolshevik Island
  • Komsomolets Island
  • Pioneer Island
  • Schmidt Island
  • De Long Islands
    • Bennett Island
    • Henrietta Island
    • Jeannette Island
    • Vilkitsky Island
    • Zhokhov Island
  • Minor Islands in Severnaya Zemlya
    • Bolshoy Island
    • Maly Taymyr Island
    • Sedov Archipelago
      • Srednij, Golomyannyj, Domashnij, Figurnyj, Vostochnyj, Smaojlovich
    • Vostothny Island
• Solovetsky Islands
  • Anzersky
  • Bolshaya Muksalma
  • Malaya Muksalma
  • Solovetsky
• Victoria Island (administered as part of Franz Josef Land, but physically separate)
• Ushakov Island (Russian Arctic) halfway between Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya
  • Wiese Island
• Wrangel Island
  • Herald Island

Five new islands were discovered by Russia in October 2019. ^[54]

United States

• Barter Island
• Arey Island

See also

• Lists of islands
• List of islands in the Atlantic Ocean
• List of islands in the Pacific Ocean
• List of islands in the Indian Ocean
• List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands
• Extreme points of the Arctic

References

1. "Atlas of Canada – Sea Islands". Atlas.nrcan.gc.ca. 12 August 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
2. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nunavut". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
3. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Northwest Territories". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
4. "Baffin Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
5. Wolchover, Natalie (24 January 2012). "World's Largest Island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island Seen on Google Earth". LiveScience. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
6. "Victoria Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
7. Struzik, Edward. "Alert". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
8. "Ellesmere Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
9. "Banks Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary No. 1". Environment and Climate Change Canada. 3 June 2022.
10. "Banks Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary No. 2". Environment and Climate Change Canada. 14 November 2019.
11. "Banks Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
12. "Mars Researchers Rendezvous on Remote Arctic Island". Langley Research Center, Atmospheric Science Data Center, NASA. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
13. "Devon Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
14. "The Fossilized Forest Of Axel Heiberg Island". The University of British Columbia. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
15. "Axel Heiberg Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
16. Doupé, Jonathan P.; England, John H.; Furze, M.; Paetkau, David (2007). "Most Northerly Observation of a Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) in Canada: Photographic and DNA Evidence from Melville Island, Northwest Territories". Arctic. 60 (3): 271–276. doi: 10.14430/arctic219 .
17. "Melville Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
18. "Current Local Time in Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada". timeanddate.com. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
19. "Southampton Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
20. Pelletier, Jeff (10 April 2025). "A 'North of North' Ice Cove location guide". Nunatsiaq News . Retrieved 1 May 2025.
21. "Prince of Wales Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
22. "Northwest Passage: The National visits Canada's North". CBC News. 27 October 2006. Archived from the original on 3 November 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
23. "Somerset Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
24. McGhee, Robert. Brooman Point Village. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
25. "Qausuittuq National Park". Parks Canada. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
26. "Polar Bear Pass (Nanuit Itillinga) National Wildlife Area". Environment and Climate Change Canada. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
27. "Bathurst Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
28. "Mould Bay Weather Station". The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved 21 June 2025.
29. "Prince Patrick Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
30. "Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site". Parks Canada . 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
31. "King William Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
32. "Ellef Ringnes Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
33. "Sirmilik National Park". Parks Canada. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
34. "Bylot Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
35. Martini, I. P.; Wanless, H. R. (24 October 2014). Sedimentary Coastal Zones from High to Low Latitudes: Similarities and Differences. Geological Society of London. ISBN   9781862393745 – via Google Books.
36. "Prince Charles Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
37. "Arctic Exile Monument Project" . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
38. "Cornwallis Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
39. "In the bones of the world (Part eight)". Nortext Publishing Corporation (Iqaluit). Nunatsiaq News. 26 July 2002. Archived from the original on 28 March 2005. Retrieved 28 March 2005.
40. "Coats Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
41. "Amund Ringnes Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
42. "Mackenzie King Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
43. "Hans Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
44. Chase, Steven (10 June 2022). "Canada and Denmark reach settlement over disputed Arctic island, sources say". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
45. "Canada and Denmark sign deal to divide uninhabited Arctic island". CBC News . 13 June 2022.
46. "Herschel Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
47. "Yukon Inuvialuit Settlement Region Lands". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
48. "Broughton Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
49. "Dorset Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
50. "Flaherty Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
51. "Igloolik Island". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
52. "Greenland and The Faroe Islands". UM-ENEN. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
53. "Political system". japan.um.dk. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
54. "Melting Glaciers Reveal Five New Islands in the Arctic". The Guardian . Agence France-Presse. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.