King William Island

King William Island
Native name:
Qikiqtaq
NASA Landsat satellite image of King William Island. North is to the upper left.
King William Island is located in Nunavut
King William Island
King William Island
King William Island is located in Canada
King William Island
King William Island
Geography
LocationNorthern Canada
Coordinates69°10′N 97°25′W / 69.167°N 97.417°W / 69.167; -97.417 (King William Island)[1]
ArchipelagoArctic Archipelago
Area13,174 km2 (5,087 sq mi) -13,111 km2 (5,062 sq mi)
Area rank61st
Coastline1,466 km (910.9 mi)
Highest elevation141 m (463 ft)
Highest pointMount Matheson
Administration
Canada
TerritoryNunavut
Largest settlementGjoa Haven (pop. 1,349)
Demographics
Population1,349[2] (2021)
Pop. density0.1/km2 (0.3/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsInuit

King William Island (French: Île du Roi-Guillaume; previously: King William Land; Inuktitut: Qikiqtaq)[3] is an island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, which is part of the Arctic Archipelago. In area it is between 12,516 km2 (4,832 sq mi)[4] and 13,111 km2 (5,062 sq mi)[5] making it the 61st-largest island in the world and Canada's 15th-largest island. Its population, as of the 2021 census, was 1,349,[2] all of whom live in the island's only community, Gjoa Haven.[a]

While searching for the Northwest Passage, a number of polar explorers visited, or spent their winters on, King William Island.

  1. ^ "King William Island". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. ^ a b "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table Gjoa Haven, Hamlet (HAM) Nunavut [Census subdivision]". Statistics Canada. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  3. ^ Darren Keith, Jerry Arqviq (November 23, 2006). "Environmental Change, Polar Bears and Adaptation in the East Kitikmeot: An Initial Assessment Final Report" (PDF). Kitikmeot Heritage Society. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "King William Island". Atlas of Canada. 29 December 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  5. ^ "Other Arctic Islands". Atlas of Canada. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "Kitikmeot, Unorganized". 8 February 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2020.


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