King William Island
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern Canada |
| Coordinates | 69°00′N 97°30′W / 69.000°N 97.500°W |
| Archipelago | Canadian Arctic Archipelago |
| Area | 12,516 km2 (4,832 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 61st |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,064 |
King William Island (previously: King William Land; Inuktitut: Qikiqtaq)[1] is an island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and forms part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In area it is between 12,516 km2 (4,832 sq mi)[2] and 13,111 km2 (5,062 sq mi)[3] making it the 61st largest island in the world and Canada's 15th largest island. Its population, as of the 2006 census, was 1,064,[4] all of which live in the island's only community Gjoa Haven.
The island is separated from the Boothia Peninsula by the James Ross Strait to the northeast, and the Rae Strait to the east. To the west is the Victoria Strait and beyond it Victoria Island. Within the Simpson Strait, to the south of the island, is Todd Island, and beyond it, further to the south, is the Adelaide Peninsula. Queen Maud Gulf lies to the southwest.
Victory Point is on its north coast. Gore Point, Point Le Vesconte, Erebus Bay and Terror Bay are on the west coast. Douglas Bay, Booth Point, and Gjoa Haven are on the south coast.[5]
The island is known for its large populations of caribou who summer there, before walking south over the sea ice in the autumn.
Role in Arctic exploration
While searching for the Northwest Passage, a number of polar explorers visited, or spent their winters on, King William Island.
John Ross
The island, long occupied by Inuit people, was originally named 'King William Land' for the reigning British King William IV in 1830 by the Arctic explorer John Ross, who thought it was a peninsula.
John Franklin
John Franklin's 1845 expedition became stranded in the sea ice northwest of the island. After the ships were abandoned, most of the crew gradually perished from exposure and starvation as they attempted to walk south near the western coastline. Two of Franklin's men are buried at Hall Point on the island's south coast.
Roald Amundsen
In 1903, explorer Roald Amundsen, looking for the Northwest Passage, sailed through the James Ross Strait and stopped at a natural harbour on the island's south coast. There, unable to proceed due to sea ice, he spent the winters of 1903-4 and 1904-5. During his stays there he learned Arctic living skills from the local Netsilik Inuit that were later to be invaluable in his expedition to the South Pole. He used his ship Gjøa as a base for explorations in the summer of 1904, sledding the Boothia Peninsula and travelling to the North Magnetic Pole. Amundsen finally left, after 22 months on the island, in August 1905. The harbour where he lived is now the island's only settlement, Gjoa Haven.
References
- ^ Darren Keith, Jerry Arqviq (November 23, 2006). "Environmental Change, Polar Bears and Adaptation in the East Kitikmeot: An Initial Assessment Final Report". Kitikmeot Heritage Society. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
- ^ King William Island at the Atlas of Canada
- ^ Other Arctic Islands at the Atlas of Canada
- ^ 2006 census
- ^ Page 2 fig. 1 in Keenleyside, A., M. Bertulli, and H. C. Fricke. 1997. "The Final Days of the Franklin Expedition: New Skeletal Evidence". Arctic. 50, no. 1: 36.
- The Last Place on Earth, Roland Huntford, ISBN 0-349-11395-5
Further reading
- Fraser, J. Keith. Notes on the Glaciation of King William Island and Adelaide Peninsula, N.W.T. Ottawa: Geographical Branch, Dept. of Mines and Technical Surveys, 1959.
- Taylor, J. Garth. Netsilik Eskimo Material Culture. The Roald Amundsen Collection from King William Island. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1974. ISBN 8200089452
- Woodworth-Lynas, C. M. T. Surveying and Trenching an Iceberg Scour, King William Island, Arctic Canada. St. John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland, Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering, 1985.