Victoria Island

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For the Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria see Victoria Island (Nigeria), for the Victoria Island in Russian Arctic see Victoria Island (Russian Arctic), or the Malaysian island formerly known as Victoria Island, see Labuan.
Victoria Island, northern Canada.
Victoria Island, northern Canada.
Closeup map of Victoria Island
Closeup map of Victoria Island
Satellite photograph montage of Victoria Island
Satellite photograph montage of Victoria Island

Victoria Island (approx. 71°0′N 110°0′W) is a Canadian Arctic island straddling the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the 9th largest island of the world, and at 217 291 km² is Canada's second largest island and nearly double the size of Newfoundland. The western third of the island belongs to the Northwest Territories Inuvik Region and the remainder is part of Nunavut's Kitikmeot Region. Viscount Melville Sound lies to the north, and the M'Clintock Channel and Victoria Strait lie eastward. The Northwest Territories continue on the mainland to the South across Pease Strait. On the West are Amundsen Gulf and Banks Island, which is separated from Victoria by a long sound called the Prince of Wales Strait.

Victoria Island is an island of peninsulae, having a heavily indented coastline with many inlets. In the east, pointing northwards, is the Storkerson Peninsula, which ends with the Goldsmith Channel, the body of water separating Victoria from Stefansson Island. The Storkerson Peninsula is separated from the island's north-central areas by Hadley Bay, a major inlet. Another, broad peninsula is found in the north, Prince Albert Peninsula. This ends at the Prince of Wales Strait. In the south, and pointing westwards, is the Wollaston Peninsula, separated from the island's central areas by Prince Albert Sound.

Victoria Island reaches an elevation of 655 m in the Shaler Mountains in the north-central region.

The population of the island is 1,707; 1,309 in the Nunavut part and 398 in the Northwest Territories portion (2001). The largest settlement on the island is Cambridge Bay, which lies on the southeast coast and is in Nunavut. Ulukhaktok is on the west coast and is in the Northwest Territories. There was once a trading post called Fort Collinson farther north along the west coast, but it was abandoned long ago.

The island is named for Queen Victoria, the Canadian sovereign from 1867 to 1901. The features bearing the name "Prince Albert" are, of course, named after her consort.

Although Victoria Island is located in Canada, it is nowhere near the city of Victoria, British Columbia, which is on Vancouver Island.

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