Wales Island is one of the uninhabited Canadian arctic islands in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of 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...

. Located 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) off 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...

, the island is situated in Committee Bay

Committee Bay

Committee Bay is an Arctic waterway in Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in southern Gulf of Boothia, bounded on the east by the Melville Peninsula, and to the northwest by the Simpson Peninsula. Wales Island lies within the bay....

 within western Gulf of Boothia

Gulf of Boothia

The Gulf of Boothia is a body of water in Nunavut, Canada, the western side being within Kitikmeot Region while the eastern side is in Qikiqtaaluk Region. It is situated between Baffin Island and the Boothia Peninsula...

. It has an area of 1137 km² (439 sq mi).

Named Prince of Wales Island by the Scottish Arctic

Arctic

The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...

 explorer, Dr. John Rae

John Rae (explorer)

John Rae was a Scottish doctor who explored Northern Canada, surveyed parts of the Northwest Passage and reported the fate of the Franklin Expedition....

, it was subsequently shortened to Wales Island.