Bathurst Island
Encyclopedia
A member of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
, Bathurst Island is one of the Queen Elizabeth Islands
in Nunavut
Territory, Canada
. The area of the island is estimated at 16042 km² (6,193.9 sq mi), making it the 54th largest island in the world and Canada's 13th largest island. It is uninhabited.
The island is low-lying with few parts higher than 330 m (1,083 ft) in elevation. The highest point is 412 m (1,352 ft) at Stokes Mountain
in the Stokes Range
. This in turn form part of the Arctic Cordillera
mountain system. Good soil conditions produce abundant vegetation and support a more prolific wildlife population than other Arctic islands.
The island contains the Polar Bear Pass
National Wildlife Area, and the area of the proposed Tuktusiuqvialuk National Park.
on the eastern coast of Bathurst Island was the site of Thule native tribes around A.D.
1000, conceivably during a warmer climate
episode. William Edward Parry
was the first Europe
an to discover the island in 1819, charting its southern coast. It was named for Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
, British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
1812-1827. Robert Aldrich charted much of its west coast in 1851, while George Henry Richards
and Sherard Osborn
charted its north coast in 1853.
The Earth's North Magnetic Pole
tracked northwards across Bathurst Island during the 1960s and 1970s.
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Arctic Archipelago, is a Canadian archipelago north of the Canadian mainland in the Arctic...
, Bathurst Island is one of the Queen Elizabeth Islands
Queen Elizabeth Islands
The Queen Elizabeth Islands are the northernmost cluster of islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, split between Nunavut and Northwest Territories in Northern Canada.-Geography:...
in Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
Territory, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The area of the island is estimated at 16042 km² (6,193.9 sq mi), making it the 54th largest island in the world and Canada's 13th largest island. It is uninhabited.
The island is low-lying with few parts higher than 330 m (1,083 ft) in elevation. The highest point is 412 m (1,352 ft) at Stokes Mountain
Stokes Mountain
Stokes Mountain is the highest mountain of the Stokes Range on Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada. It is also the highpoint on Bathrust Island and has a topographic prominence of , greater than any other mountain in the Stokes Range....
in the Stokes Range
Stokes Range
The Stokes Range is a mountain range on Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada. The range is one of the northernmost ranges in the world and of the Arctic Cordillera. Its highest point is at Stokes Mountain.-External links:*...
. This in turn form part of the Arctic Cordillera
Arctic Cordillera
The Arctic Cordillera is a vast, deeply dissected chain of mountain ranges extending along the northeastern flank of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from Ellesmere Island to the northeasternmost part of the Labrador Peninsula in northern Labrador and northern Quebec, Canada...
mountain system. Good soil conditions produce abundant vegetation and support a more prolific wildlife population than other Arctic islands.
The island contains the Polar Bear Pass
Polar Bear Pass
Polar Bear Pass is a 262,400 hectare wetland and mountain pass on Bathurst Island within Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. The pass is on federal Crown land.-Fauna and flora:...
National Wildlife Area, and the area of the proposed Tuktusiuqvialuk National Park.
History
Brooman Point VillageBrooman Point Village
Based on archeological finds, Brooman Point Village is an abandoned village in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the central High Arctic on a point of the Gregory Peninsula, part of the eastern coast of Bathurst Island. Brooman was both a Late Dorset culture Paleoeskimo village...
on the eastern coast of Bathurst Island was the site of Thule native tribes around A.D.
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
1000, conceivably during a warmer climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
episode. William Edward Parry
William Edward Parry
Sir William Edward Parry was an English rear-admiral and Arctic explorer, who in 1827 attempted one of the earliest expeditions to the North Pole...
was the first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an to discover the island in 1819, charting its southern coast. It was named for Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...
, British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies . The Department was created in 1801...
1812-1827. Robert Aldrich charted much of its west coast in 1851, while George Henry Richards
George Henry Richards
Admiral Sir George Henry Richards was Hydrographer to the British Admiralty from 1864 to 1874.-Early life:Richards was born in Anthony, Cornwall, the son of Captain G S Richards, and joined the navy in 1832....
and Sherard Osborn
Sherard Osborn
Sherard Osborn , was a Royal Navy admiral and Arctic explorer.-Early life:Born in Madras, he was the son of an Indian army officer...
charted its north coast in 1853.
The Earth's North Magnetic Pole
Earth's magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth's inner core to where it meets the solar wind, a stream of energetic particles emanating from the Sun...
tracked northwards across Bathurst Island during the 1960s and 1970s.