| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Foxe Basin |
| Archipelago | Canadian Arctic Archipelago |
| Country | |
| Nunavut | Nunavut |
| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Largest city | Igloolik |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,538 |
| Ethnic groups | Inuit |
| Additional information | |
| Source: Atlas of Canada[1] | |
Igloolik Island is a small island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the Foxe Basin, very close to the Melville Peninsula (and to a lesser degree, Baffin Island), and it is often thought to be a part of the peninsula. It forms part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
The word Igloolik (Inuktitut: "there is an igloo here") comes from iglu (meaning: "house"/"building") and refers to the sod houses (qarmaq)[2] that were originally in the area.[3][4] Inuit and their ancestors have inhabited the island since 2000 BC. The archaeological sites on the island, which show a sequence up to 1000 AD, are one of Canada's national historic sites.[5][6]
There is only one community on the island, also named Igloolik.
On the north of Igloolik Island at is a peninsula called Qikiqtaarjuk (Inuktitut syllabics: ᕿᑭᖅᑖᕐᔪᒃ, English: little island).[7][8][9] About 400 – 500 years ago Qikiqtaarjuk was a separate island but due to isostatic rebound it became part of the main island.[7] Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (traditional knowledge) says that prior to that there was an even smaller island called Puqtuniq from which the waters receded forming Qikiqtaarjuk.[10] Qikiqtaarjuk is associated with several Inuit legends and stories and was the place from where Atanarjuat starts his run.[7][8][10]