Arctic Archipelago
Canadian islands in the Arctic Ocean
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 the Danish Realm, which is, by itself, much larger than the combined area of the archipelago), and Iceland (an independent country).
Polar projection map of the Arctic Archipelago | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern Canada |
| Coordinates | 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) |
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, predominantly 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]
History
Around 2500 BCE, the Paleo-Eskimos arrived to the archipelago from the Canadian mainland, the first humans to do so. 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]
Geography
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 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]
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.
Map with links to islands
- King Christianmap 1
- Bordenmap 2
- Lougheedmap 3
- Brockmap 4
- Mackenzie Kingmap 5
- Helenamap 6
- Cameronmap 7
- Emeraldmap 8
- Prince Patrickmap 9
- Île Vaniermap 10
- Eglintonmap 11
- Alexandermap 12
- Bathurstmap 13
- Melvillemap 14
- Byam Martinmap 15
- Banksmap 16
- Stefanssonmap 17
- Russellmap 18
- Prince of Walesmap 19
- Prescottmap 20
- Somersetmap 21
- Victoriamap 22
- King Williammap 23
- Mattymap 24
- Walesmap 25
- Belchermap 26
- Longmap 27
- Akimiskimap 28
- Charltonmap 29
- Ellesmeremap 30
- Meighenmap 31
- Axel Heibergmap 32
- Ellef Ringnesmap 33
- Amund Ringnesmap 34
- Cornwallmap 35
- Grahammap 36
- North Kentmap 37
- Baillie-Hamiltonmap 38
- Little Cornwallismap 39
- Cornwallismap 40 A
- Devonmap 41
- Bylotmap 42
- Baffinmap 43
- Kapuiviitmap 44 B
- Kochmap 45
- Braymap 46
- Rowleymap 47
- Foleymap 48
- Air Forcemap 49
- Prince Charlesmap 50
- Nagjuttuuqmap 51 C
- Qikiqtaaluk (Foxe Basin)map 52 D
- Southamptonmap 53
- Resolutionmap 54
- Loksmap 55
- Akpatokmap 56
- Qikiqtarjuaq (Hudson Strait)map 57 E
- Salisburymap 58
- Nottinghammap 59
- Manselmap 60
- Coatsmap 61
- Islands not on map
- Beecheymap 62
- Broughtonmap 63 F
- Cape Chidleymap 64
- Dorsetmap 65 G
- Duke of Yorkmap 66
- East Penmap 67
- Flahertymap 68 H
- Haig-Thomasmap 69
- Hansmap 70
- Herschelmap 71
- Igloolikmap 72 I
- Killiniqmap 73
- Ottawamap 74
- Prince Leopoldmap 75
- Qikiqtaryuaqmap 76 J
- Skraelingmap 77
- Trodelymap 78
- Umingmalikmap 79 K
- Westonmap 80
Notes
Communities
| 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 |
Populated islands
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][53][54] (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 |
Mapping
- ^map 1King Christian, 77°45′N 102°00′W
- ^map 2Borden, 78°33′N 111°10′W
- ^map 3Lougheed, 77°24′N 105°15′W
- ^map 4Brock, 77°51′N 114°27′W
- ^map 5Mackenzie King 77°43′N 111°57′W
- ^map 6Helena, 76°40′N 101°00′W
- ^map 7Cameron, 77°48′N 101°51′W
- ^map 8Emerald Isle, 76°48′N 114°07′W
- ^map 9Prince Patrick, 76°45′N 119°30′W
- ^map 10Île Vanier, 76°10′N 103°15′W
- ^map 11Eglinton, 75°46′N 118°27′W
- ^map 12Alexander, 75°52′N 102°37′W
- ^map 13Bathurst, 75°46′N 099°47′W
- ^map 14Melville, 75°30′N 111°30′W
- ^map 15Byam Martin, 75°12′N 104°17′W
- ^map 16Banks, 73°00′N 121°30′W
- ^map 17Stefansson, 73°30′N 105°30′W
- ^map 18Russell, 74°00′N 098°25′W
- ^map 19Prince of Wales, 72°36′N 098°32′W
- ^map 20Prescott, 73°03′N 096°49′W
- ^map 21Somerset, 73°15′N 093°30′W
- ^map 22Victoria, 71°00′N 110°00′W
- ^map 23King William, 68°58′N 097°14′W
- ^map 24Matty, 69°28′N 095°40′W
- ^map 25Wales, 68°01′N 086°40′W
- ^map 26Belcher, 56°20′N 079°30′W
- ^map 27Long, 54°52′N 079°25′W
- ^map 28Akimiski, 53°00′N 081°20′W
- ^map 29Charlton, 52°00′N 079°26′W
- ^map 30Ellesmere, 79°49′N 078°00′W
- ^map 31Meighen, 79°59′N 099°30′W
- ^map 32Axel Heiberg, 79°26′N 090°46′W
- ^map 33Ellef Ringnes, 78°37′N 101°56′W
- ^map 34Amund Ringnes, 78°19′N 096°25′W
- ^map 35Cornwall, 77°37′N 094°52′W
- ^map 36Graham, 77°26′N 090°30′W
- ^map 37North Kent, 76°40′N 090°15′W
- ^map 38Baillie-Hamilton, 75°53′N 094°35′W
- ^map 39Little Cornwallis, 75°30′N 096°30′W
- ^map 40Cornwallis, 75°05′N 095°00′W
- ^map 41Devon, 75°15′N 088°00′W
- ^map 42Bylot, 73°13′N 078°34′W
- ^map 43Baffin, 69°00′N 072°00′W
- ^map 44Jens Munk, 69°40′N 079°40′W
- ^map 45Koch, 69°35′N 078°20′W
- ^map 46Bray, 69°20′N 077°00′W
- ^map 47Rowley, 69°05′N 078°52′W
- ^map 48Foley, 68°30′N 075°00′W
- ^map 49Air Force, 67°58′N 074°05′W
- ^map 50Prince Charles, 67°45′N 076°00′W
- ^map 51Vansittart, 65°50′N 084°00′W
- ^map 52White, 65°46′N 084°53′W
- ^map 53Southampton, 64°30′N 084°30′W
- ^map 54Resolution, 61°35′N 065°00′W
- ^map 55Loks Land, 62°26′N 064°38′W
- ^map 56Akpatok, 60°25′N 068°08′W
- ^map 57Big, 62°43′N 070°43′W
- ^map 58Salisbury, 63°35′N 077°00′W
- ^map 59Nottingham, 63°17′N 077°55′W
- ^map 60Mansel, 62°00′N 079°50′W
- ^map 61Coats, 62°35′N 082°45′W
- ^map 62Beechey, 74°43′N 091°51′W
- ^map 63Broughton, 67°34′N 063°54′W[55]
- ^map 64Cape Chidley, 60°25′45″N 64°27′50″W[56]
- ^map 65Dorset, 64°12′N 76°32′W[57]
- ^map 66Duke of York, 68°15′N 112°30′W
- ^map 67East Pen, 56°45′N 088°40′W
- ^map 68Flaherty, 56°14′N 079°17′W[58]
- ^map 69Haig-Thomas, 78°15′N 094°30′W
- ^map 70Hans, 80°49′N 066°27′W
- ^map 71Herschel, 69°35′N 139°04′W
- ^map 72Igloolik, 69°23′N 081°40′W[59]
- ^map 73Killiniq, 60°22′N 064°37′W
- ^map 74Ottawa, 59°34′N 080°16′W
- ^map 75Prince Leopold, 74°01′N 090°04′W
- ^map 76Jenny Lind, 68°43′N 101°58′W
- ^map 77Skraeling, 78°55′N 075°40′W
- ^map 78Trodely, 52°14′N 079°26′W
- ^map 79Gateshead, 70°35′N 100°25′W
- ^map 80Weston, 52°32′N 079°35′W
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