 NASA Landsat photo of the Sverdrup Islands From left to right:Ellef Ringnes,Amund Ringnes, andAxel Heiberg islands. | |
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  Sverdrup Islands  Sverdrup Islands | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Arctic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 79°00′N96°00′W / 79.000°N 96.000°W /79.000; -96.000 (Sverdrup Islands)[1] |
| Archipelago | Queen Elizabeth Islands, Arctic Archipelago |
| Major islands | |
| Area | 66,000 km2 (25,000 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2,210 m (7250 ft) |
| Highest point | Outlook Peak |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Capital city | McGill Arctic Research Station |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 8 to 12summer population |
| Pop. density | 0.000015/km2 (3.9E-5/sq mi) |
TheSverdrup Islands is anarchipelago of the northernQueen Elizabeth Islands, inNunavut, Canada. The islands, part of theArctic Archipelago, are situated in theArctic Ocean, west ofEllesmere Island from 77° to 81° North and 85° to 106° West.
The islands are named after Norwegian explorerOtto Sverdrup, who explored and mapped them from 1898 to 1902 with the vesselFram, althoughInuit previously inhabited some of them. Sverdrup claimed the islands for Norway, but the Norwegian government showed no interest in pursuing the claim until 1928. At that point, the Norwegian government raised the claim, primarily to use the islands as bargaining chips in negotiations with the United Kingdom over the status of two other islands: theJan Mayen in theArctic andBouvet Island in theAntarctic. On 11 November 1930, Norway recognized Canadian sovereignty over the Sverdrup Islands.[2] On 19 November 1930, the United Kingdom recognized Norwegian sovereignty over Jan Mayen.[3]
The main islands of the group areAxel Heiberg Island,Ellef Ringnes Island,Amund Ringnes Island,Cornwall Island,[citation needed]Graham Island,[citation needed]Meighen Island,King Christian Island,Stor Island, and the archipelago also includes a number of smaller islands in the surrounding waters. The only inhabited place wasIsachsen, a formerly staffed weather station, 1948 through 1978, on Ellef Ringnes Island andMcGill Arctic Research Station on Axel Heiberg Island (a research station occupied during the summer).
| Island | Peak | Height m | Area km2 | Rank Canada | Rank World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axel Heiberg | Outlook Peak | 2,211 | 43,178 | 7 | 32 |
| Ellef Ringnes | Isachsen Dome | 260 | 11,295 | 16 | 69 |
| Amund Ringnes | ... | 265 | 5,255 | 25 | 111 |
| Meighen | Meighen Icecap | 300 | 955 | 50 | 337 |
| King Christian | King Christian Mountain | 165 | 645 | 60 | 420 |
| Stor | ... | 500 | 313 | 87 | ... |
| Sverdrup | Outlook Peak | 2,211 | 66,000 | - | - |
