Borden Island
 Borden Island, Northwest Territories and Nunavut | |
  Location within Northwest Territories  Location within Nunavut  Location within Canada | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern Canada |
| Coordinates | 78°30′03″N 111°13′12″W / 78.50083°N 111.22000°W |
| Archipelago | Queen Elizabeth Islands Arctic Archipelago |
| Area | 2,795.95 km2 (1,079.52 sq mi) (2026)[1][2] |
| Area rank | 31st in Canada & 173rd worldwide |
| Length | 94 km (58.4 mi) |
| Width | 82 km (51 mi) |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Nunavut; Northwest Territories | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Borden Island is an uninhabited, low-lying island in the Queen Elizabeth Islands of northern Canada.[3] Split between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, it is the northernmost point of the latter.
Geography and history
[edit]
With an area of 2,795.95 km2 (1,079.52 sq mi) in size,[1][2] 93.9 km (58.3 mi) long and 82 km (51 mi) wide, Borden is the 173rd largest island in the world, and Canada's 31st largest island. It lies north of Mackenzie King Island and is similarly split between the Northwest Territories (larger portion) and Nunavut, with the border running along the 110th meridian west.[4] The first known sighting of the island by Europeans was by Vilhjalmur Stefansson in 1916, it was originally described as a single landmass.[5] However, in 1947, during an aerial survey by the Royal Canadian Air Force the island was found to be two islands divided by Wilkins Strait.[6]
Naming
[edit]The island is named for Robert Borden, Prime Minister of Canada 1911–1920.[7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Global Islands (USGS, ESRI, UNEP-WCMC)". 16 March 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Global Islands (USGS, ESRI, UNEP-WCMC) - USGSEsriWCMC GlobalIslandsv3 BigIslands". 16 March 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Borden Island". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ↑ "Mackenzie King Island | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ↑ Stefansson, Vilhjalmur (1922). The Friendly Arctic: The Story of Five Years in Polar Regions. New York: Macmillan.
- ↑ Thomson, Don W., Skyview Canada: A Story of Aerial Photography in Canada, R.B.W. Ltd: Ottawa, Canada, 1975, p. 130
- ↑ "Canadian Leaders - Sir Robert Borden". Canada and the First World War. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
Further reading
[edit]- Geological Survey of Canada, John Adams, and Heather Penney. The 1956 June 3 Arctic Margin Earthquake Off Borden Island, Northwest Territories. Open file (Geological Survey of Canada), 2693. 1993.