Southampton Island is a large island at the entrance to Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...

 at Foxe Basin

Foxe Basin

Not to be confused with Fox Bay, Falkland IslandsFoxe Basin is a shallow oceanic basin north of Hudson Bay, in Nunavut, Canada, located between Baffin Island and the Melville Peninsula...

. One of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

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...

, Southampton Island is part of the Kivalliq Region 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...

, 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 stated as 41214 km² (15,913 sq mi) by Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....

 . It is the 34th largest island in the world and Canada's ninth largest island. The only settlement on Southampton Island is Coral Harbour

Coral Harbour, Nunavut

Coral Harbour , is a small Inuit community that is located on Southampton Island, Kivalliq Region, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Its name is derived from the fossilized coral that can be found around the waters of the community which is situated at the head of South Bay...

 (pop. 712, Canada 2001 Census

Canada 2001 Census

The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...

), called in Inuit Salliq.

Southampton Island is one of the few Canadian areas, and the only area in Nunavut, that does not use daylight saving time

Daylight saving time

Daylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...

.

History

Historically speaking, Southampton Island is famous for its now-extinct inhabitants, the Sadlermiut

Sadlermiut

The Sadlermiut were an Eskimo group living in near isolation mainly on and around Coats Island, Walrus Island, and Southampton Island in Hudson Bay...

(modern Inuktitut

Inuktitut

Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...

 Sallirmiut "Inhabitants of Salliq"), who were the last vestige of the Tuniit

Dorset culture

The Dorset culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that preceded the Inuit culture in Arctic North America. It has been defined as having four phases, with distinct technology related to the people's hunting and tool making...

. The Tuniit, a pre-Inuit

Inuit

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

 culture, officially went ethnically and culturally extinct in 1902-03 when infectious disease killed all of the Sallirmiut in a matter of weeks.

The island's first recorded visit by Europeans was in 1613 by Welsh

Welsh people

The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...

 explorer Thomas Button

Thomas Button

Sir Thomas Button was a Welsh officer of the Royal Navy and explorer who in 1612–1613 commanded an expedition that unsuccessfully attempted to locate explorer Henry Hudson and to navigate the Northwest Passage. It was, nonetheless, a voyage of discovery andThomas Button was an explorer as...

.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the island was repopulated by Aivilingmiut

Aivilingmiut

The Aivilingmiut are an Inuit people who traditionally have resided north of Hudson Bay in Canada, near Naujaat , Chesterfield Inlet, Southampton Island, and Cape Fullerton. They are descendants of the Thule people and are considered a southern subgroup of the Iglulik Inuit...

 from Repulse Bay

Repulse Bay, Nunavut

Repulse Bay is an Inuit hamlet located on the shore of Hudson Bay, Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut, Canada.-Location and wildlife:The hamlet is located exactly on the Arctic Circle, on the north shore of Repulse Bay and on the south shore of the Rae Isthmus. Transport to the community is provided...

 and Chesterfield Inlet

Chesterfield Inlet

Chesterfield Inlet is an inlet in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is an arm of northwestern Hudson Bay, and the end point of the Thelon River after its passage through Baker Lake. Cross Bay, a large widening of the inlet, occurs east of Baker Lake...

, influenced to do so by whaler

Whaler

A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...

 Capt. George Comer

George Comer

Captain George Comer was considered the most famous American whaling captain of Hudson Bay, and the world's foremost authority on Hudson Bay Inuit in the early 20th century....

 and others. Baffin Island

Baffin Island

Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...

ers arrived 25 years later. John Ell, who as a young child travelled with his mother Shoofly on Comer's schooners, eventually became the most famous of Southampton Island's re-settled population.

The Native Point

Native Point

Native Point is a peninsula in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located on Southampton Island's Bell Peninsula at the mouth of Native Bay.-Archaeological site:...

 archaeological site at the mouth of Native Bay

Native Bay

Native Bay is a waterway in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Hudson Bay off western Southampton Island. The Bell Peninsula lies to the southeast. Native Point is located at the bay's southern tip...

 is the largest Sadlermiut

Sadlermiut

The Sadlermiut were an Eskimo group living in near isolation mainly on and around Coats Island, Walrus Island, and Southampton Island in Hudson Bay...

 site on the island.

Geography

It is separated from the Melville Peninsula

Melville Peninsula

Melville Peninsula is a large peninsula in the Canadian Arctic. Since 1999, it has been part of Nunavut. Before that, it was part of the District of Franklin. It's separated from Southampton Island by Frozen Strait. The narrow isthmus connecting the peninsula to the mainland is styled the “Rae...

 by Frozen Strait

Frozen Strait

Frozen Strait is an Arctic Ocean waterway located in Nunavut's Foxe Basin between the Melville Peninsula and Southampton Island. It connects Repulse Bay with Roes Welcome Sound. The strait is long, and to wide....

. Other waterways surrounding the island include Roes Welcome Sound

Roes Welcome Sound

Roes Welcome Sound is an Arctic Ocean waterway in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Foxe Basin and opens north to Repulse Bay. It is situated between the mainland and Southampton Island, north of Marble Island. Roes Welcome Sound measures long, and wide.It is named after Sir...

 to the west, Bay of Gods Mercy

Bay of Gods Mercy

Bay of Gods Mercy is a waterway in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Hudson Bay off southwestern Southampton Island. The Boas River empties into the bay....

 in the southwest, Fisher Strait

Fisher Strait

Fisher Strait is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. It separates Southampton Island from Coats Island . To the south-west the strait opens into Hudson Bay....

 in the south, Evans Strait

Evans Strait

Evans Strait is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. It separates Southampton Island's Bell Peninsula from Coats Island ....

 in the southeast, and Foxe Channel

Foxe Channel

The Foxe Channel is an area of sea in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It separates the Foxe Basin from Hudson Bay and the Hudson Strait . To the west and south-west is Southampton Island, to the east is Baffin Island, and to the north-west is the Melville Peninsula.The channel takes its name...

 in the east.

Hansine Lake is located in the far north. Bell Peninsula

Bell Peninsula

The Bell Peninsula is located on southeastern Southampton Island, in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is in close proximity to the small Inuit community of Coral Harbour. The southern shores make up the northern boundary of Hudson Bay. Foxe Basin is to the east. There are several large bays...

 is located in the southeastern part of the island. Mathiasen Mountain, a member of the Porsild Mountains, is the island's highest peak.

Fauna

East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary

East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary

The East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a migratory bird sanctuary in Kivalliq, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in East Bay, an arm of Hudson Bay, in southeast Southampton Island. The nearest community is Coral Harbour, to the west...

 and Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary

The Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a migratory bird sanctuary in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in western Southampton Island in the area of the Boas River and Bay of Gods Mercy....

 are located on the island and are important breeding sites for the Lesser Snow Goose

Snow Goose

The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...

 (Anser caerulescens caerulescens). East Bay

East Bay (Nunavut)

East Bay is a waterway in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Hudson Bay off eastern Southampton Island. Caribou Island lies to the north of the bay's mouth.-Geography:...

/Native Bay

Native Bay

Native Bay is a waterway in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Hudson Bay off western Southampton Island. The Bell Peninsula lies to the southeast. Native Point is located at the bay's southern tip...

 is an Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

.