Bathurst Island

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This article is about the island in Nunavut. For the island off the coast of Australia, see Bathurst Island (Northern Territory).
Bathurst Island
Satellite photo montage of Bathurst Island and its neighbours
Satellite photo montage of Bathurst Island and its neighbours
Geography
Location Northern Canada
Coordinates 75°46′N 99°47′W / 75.767, -99.783Coordinates: 75°46′N 99°47′W / 75.767, -99.783
Archipelago Queen Elizabeth Islands
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Area 16,042 km²


Administration
Flag of Canada Canada
Territory Flag of Nunavut Nunavut
Qikiqtaaluk Region
Demographics
Population Uninhabited
Bathurst Island, Nunavut
Bathurst Island, Nunavut

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 16,042 km², making it the 54th largest island in the world and Canada's 13th largest island. It is uninhabited.

Brooman Point Village[1] on the eastern coast of Bathurst Island was the site of Thule native tribes around 1000 AD, conceivably during a warmer climate episode. Bathurst Island became known to Western explorers through its discovery by Sir William Parry in 1819 and was named for Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1812-1827.

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.

The Earth's North Magnetic Pole tracked northwards across Bathurst Island during the 1960s and 1970s.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Robert McGhee "Brooman Point Village".. thecanadianencyclopedia.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-09. 

[edit] Further reading

  • Anglin, Carolyn Diane, and John Christopher Harrison. Mineral and Energy Resource Assessment of Bathurst Island Area, Nunavut Parts of NTS 68G, 68H, 69B and 79A. [Ottawa]: Geological Survey of Canada, 1999.
  • Blake, Weston. Preliminary Account of the Glacial History of Bathurst Island, Arctic Archipelago. Ottawa: Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, 1964.
  • Danks, H. V. Arthropods of Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Arctic Canada. Syllogeus, no. 25. Ottawa: National Museum of Natural Sciences, National Museums of Canada, 1980.
  • Freeman, Milton M. R., and Linda M. Hackman. Bathurst Island NWT A Test Case of Canada's Northern Policy. Canadian Public Policy, Vol.1,No.3, Summer. 1975.
  • Givelet, N, F Roos-Barraclough, M E Goodsite, and W Shotyk. 2003. "A 6,000-Years Record of Atmospheric Mercury Accumulation in the High Arctic from Peat Deposits on Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada". Journal De Physique. IV, Colloque : JP. 107: 545.
  • Hueber, F. M. Early Devonian Plants from Bathurst Island, District of Franklin. Ottawa: Energy, Mines and Resources Canada, 1971.
  • Kerr, J. William. Geology of Bathurst Island Group and Byam Martin Island, Arctic Canada (Operation Bathurst Island). Ottawa: Dept. of Energy, Mines and Resources, 1974.
  • F.F. Slaney & Company. Peary Caribou and Muskoxen and Panarctic's Seismic Operations on Bathurst Island, N.W.T. 1974. Vancouver: F.F. Slaney & Co. Ltd, 1975.
  • Taylor, William Ewart, and Robert McGhee. Deblicquy, a Thule Culture Site on Bathurst Island, N.W.T., Canada. Mercury series. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada, 1981.