Native name: Qikiqtaq | |
|---|---|
 | |
  King William Island  King William Island | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Northern Canada |
| Coordinates | 69°10′N97°25′W / 69.167°N 97.417°W /69.167; -97.417 (King William Island)[1] |
| Archipelago | Arctic Archipelago |
| Area | 13,174 km2 (5,087 sq mi) -13,111 km2 (5,062 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 61st |
| Coastline | 1,466 km (910.9 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 141 m (463 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Matheson |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Largest settlement | Gjoa Haven (pop. 1,349) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,349[2] (2021) |
| Pop. density | 0.1/km2 (0.3/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Inuit |
King William Island (French:Île du Roi-Guillaume; previously:King William Land;Inuktitut:Qikiqtaq)[3] is an island in theKitikmeot Region ofNunavut, which is part of theArctic Archipelago. In area it is between 12,516 km2 (4,832 sq mi)[4] and 13,111 km2 (5,062 sq mi)[5] making it the61st-largest island in the world andCanada's 15th-largest island. Its population, as of the2021 census, was 1,349,[2] all of whom live in the island's only community,Gjoa Haven.[a]
While searching for theNorthwest Passage, a number ofpolar explorers visited, or spent their winters on, King William Island.
The island is separated from theBoothia Peninsula by theJames Ross Strait to the northeast, and theRae Strait to the east. To the west is theVictoria Strait and beyond itVictoria Island. Within theSimpson Strait, to the south of the island, is Todd Island, and beyond it, further to the south, is theAdelaide Peninsula.Queen Maud Gulf lies to the southwest.
Some places on the coast are: (counter clockwise from the northern tip) Cape Felix, Victory Point and Gore Point at the mouth of Collinson Inlet, Point Le Vesconte, Erebus Bay, Cape Crozier, (south side) Terror Bay, Irving Islands, Washington Bay, Cape Herschel, Gladman Point, entrance toSimpson Strait, Todd Islets, (east side)Gjoa Haven, Matheson Peninsula, Latrobe Bay, Cape Norton at mouth of Peel Inlet,Matty Island,Tennent Islands,Clarence Islands, Cape Felix.[7]
The island is known for its large populations ofbarren-ground caribou, which summer there before migrating in the autumn by walking south over thesea ice.
The island was long occupied byInuit, who had a culture adapted to the extreme environment. In 1830, the British explorerJames Clark Ross named it "King William Land" forKing William IV the reigning monarch of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; Ross thought at the time that it was apeninsula.[8][9] Some sources credit his uncle,John Ross with naming the land.[10] In 1834,George Back, another Arctic explorer, viewed its south shore fromChantrey Inlet and eventually recognised it as an island.
SirJohn Franklin, another British explorer, made an Arctic expedition looking for the Northwest Passage about a decade after Ross; his two ships became stranded in 1846 when frozen in the sea ice northwest of the island. After abandoning the two ships, most of the crew died from exposure and starvation as they attempted to walk south near the western coastline. Two of Franklin's men were buried at Hall Point on the island's south coast. The ships werebelieved lost forever, as many subsequent expeditions were unable to find them.
It was not until June 29, 1981, that researchers finally had luck. A team led by Canadian archaeologistOwen Beattie, found 31 pieces of human bone fragments on the southern tip of the island, called Booth Point.[11]
On September 9, 2014, Canada'sPrime MinisterStephen Harper announced that theVictoria Strait Expedition had located one of Franklin's two ships beneath shallow waters south of King William Island. It is preserved in very good condition; theside-scan sonar could detect the deck planking.[12][13] By the beginning of October, the wreck had been identified asHMSErebus.[14] The other expedition vessel,HMSTerror, was found in 2016 inTerror Bay, off the south-west coast of King William Island.[15]
In 1903, Norwegian explorerRoald Amundsen, looking for theNorthwest Passage, sailed through the James Ross Strait and stopped at a natural harbour on the island's south coast. Unable to proceed due tosea ice, he spent the winters of 1903–1904 and 1904–1905 there. During his stays, he learnedArctic living skills from the localNetsilik. He used his shipGjøa as a base for explorations in the summer of 1904, during which he travelled by dogsled on the Boothia Peninsula and to theNorth Magnetic Pole. After 22 months on the island, Amundsen left in August 1905. The harbour where he lived has the island's only settlement,Gjoa Haven. Amundsen used skills learned from the Inuit when he made his later expedition to theSouth Pole.[citation needed]
George Porter was born on a whaling ship nearHerschel Island in 1895 to Mary Kappak and W.P.S. Porter. George was schooled in Alaska. In 1913 he was a sailor on theElvira and travelled with the explorerVilhjalmur Stefansson. After briefly working as a reindeer herder in Siberia, he enlisted with the US military near the end of the First World War. In 1919, George was discharged from the Army in Iowa. In 1921 George sailed to Australia. Later George guidedRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) commanderHenry Larsen on many trips. George Porter eventually made Gjoa Haven on King William Island his home, where he worked as the manager of theHudson's Bay Company trading post for a career of 25 years.[16]
Like many places in the high Arctic the island has atundra climate (Köppen:ET), its winter is long and cold and the summers are cool, melting part of the ice; with low precipitation, it is a "cold desert".[17]
| Climate data forGjoa Haven (Gjoa Haven Airport) Climate ID: 2302335; coordinates68°38′08″N95°51′01″W / 68.63556°N 95.85028°W /68.63556; -95.85028 (Gjoa Haven Airport); elevation: 46.9 m (154 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1984–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record highhumidex | −4.6 | −11.3 | −6.6 | 0.2 | 5.5 | 19.4 | 26.7 | 26.8 | 16.0 | 4.2 | −0.6 | −1.9 | 26.8 |
| Record high °C (°F) | −4.4 (24.1) | −11.0 (12.2) | −5.0 (23.0) | 1.0 (33.8) | 6.5 (43.7) | 20.8 (69.4) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.0 (75.2) | 15.4 (59.7) | 4.5 (40.1) | −0.5 (31.1) | −2.0 (28.4) | 24.4 (75.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −29.6 (−21.3) | −30.3 (−22.5) | −25.4 (−13.7) | −15.9 (3.4) | −5.7 (21.7) | 4.6 (40.3) | 12.4 (54.3) | 9.7 (49.5) | 2.5 (36.5) | −5.7 (21.7) | −17.2 (1.0) | −24.6 (−12.3) | −10.4 (13.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −32.9 (−27.2) | −33.6 (−28.5) | −29.3 (−20.7) | −20.2 (−4.4) | −9.1 (15.6) | 1.7 (35.1) | 8.4 (47.1) | 6.5 (43.7) | 0.4 (32.7) | −8.4 (16.9) | −20.7 (−5.3) | −28.0 (−18.4) | −13.8 (7.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −36.0 (−32.8) | −36.4 (−33.5) | −32.9 (−27.2) | −24.4 (−11.9) | −12.4 (9.7) | −1.1 (30.0) | 4.2 (39.6) | 3.3 (37.9) | −1.7 (28.9) | −11.1 (12.0) | −24.2 (−11.6) | −31.4 (−24.5) | −17.0 (1.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −48.3 (−54.9) | −50.2 (−58.4) | −46.3 (−51.3) | −41.1 (−42.0) | −28.2 (−18.8) | −17.0 (1.4) | −1.2 (29.8) | −5.0 (23.0) | −14.3 (6.3) | −32.0 (−25.6) | −39.4 (−38.9) | −44.0 (−47.2) | −50.2 (−58.4) |
| Record lowwind chill | −64.2 | −65.3 | −66.5 | −54.0 | −39.4 | −21.9 | −6.8 | −12.9 | −21.2 | −48.1 | −55.0 | −62.5 | −66.5 |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 7.9 (0.31) | 6.0 (0.24) | 12.7 (0.50) | 15.4 (0.61) | 12.0 (0.47) | 15.3 (0.60) | 20.9 (0.82) | 31.8 (1.25) | 25.8 (1.02) | 25.6 (1.01) | 10.7 (0.42) | 8.7 (0.34) | 192.7 (7.59) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.3 (0.05) | 11.7 (0.46) | 19.4 (0.76) | 30.4 (1.20) | 14.0 (0.55) | 1.1 (0.04) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 34.6 (1.36) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 11.2 (4.4) | 9.8 (3.9) | 19.8 (7.8) | 17.1 (6.7) | 15.4 (6.1) | 4.6 (1.8) | 0.5 (0.2) | 0.5 (0.2) | 9.8 (3.9) | 32.7 (12.9) | 14.2 (5.6) | 12.2 (4.8) | 87.4 (34.4) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 8.8 | 6.0 | 9.7 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 9.7 | 12.7 | 12.9 | 16.0 | 11.9 | 9.7 | 123.4 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.63 | 5.6 | 8.8 | 11.4 | 7.7 | 0.53 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 34.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 8.9 | 6.3 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 8.7 | 1.9 | 0.22 | 0.53 | 6.3 | 15.3 | 11.2 | 8.7 | 87.4 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 1500LST) | 69.0 | 69.1 | 73.9 | 81.5 | 86.2 | 81.2 | 70.3 | 75.5 | 83.4 | 88.4 | 80.2 | 73.7 | 77.7 |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada[18] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Gladman Point Airport (abandonedDEW Line site,CAM-2) 68°40′N97°48′W / 68.667°N 97.800°W /68.667; -97.800 (Gladman Point A) elevation: 25 m (82 ft), 1961-1990 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | −5.0 (23.0) | −4.4 (24.1) | −1.7 (28.9) | 2.2 (36.0) | 3.9 (39.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 24.4 (75.9) | 23.9 (75.0) | 13.9 (57.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | −0.6 (30.9) | −4.0 (24.8) | 24.4 (75.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −30.8 (−23.4) | −31.5 (−24.7) | −27.3 (−17.1) | −17.2 (1.0) | −5.9 (21.4) | 3.8 (38.8) | 11.3 (52.3) | 8.5 (47.3) | 1.3 (34.3) | −7.8 (18.0) | −19.7 (−3.5) | −26.3 (−15.3) | −11.8 (10.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −34.2 (−29.6) | −34.9 (−30.8) | −31.4 (−24.5) | −22.0 (−7.6) | −9.8 (14.4) | 1.0 (33.8) | 7.2 (45.0) | 5.2 (41.4) | −0.9 (30.4) | −11.2 (11.8) | −23.6 (−10.5) | −29.8 (−21.6) | −15.4 (4.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −38.3 (−36.9) | −38.7 (−37.7) | −35.7 (−32.3) | −27.1 (−16.8) | −13.8 (7.2) | −2.0 (28.4) | 3.1 (37.6) | 1.9 (35.4) | −3.2 (26.2) | −14.6 (5.7) | −27.5 (−17.5) | −34.0 (−29.2) | −19.2 (−2.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −50.0 (−58.0) | −53.0 (−63.4) | −48.3 (−54.9) | −43.3 (−45.9) | −31.1 (−24.0) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −1.7 (28.9) | −6.1 (21.0) | −17.5 (0.5) | −33.4 (−28.1) | −46.7 (−52.1) | −47.2 (−53.0) | −53.0 (−63.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 1.7 (0.07) | 2.3 (0.09) | 2.5 (0.10) | 5.5 (0.22) | 9.4 (0.37) | 10.0 (0.39) | 23.5 (0.93) | 25.9 (1.02) | 18.9 (0.74) | 13.2 (0.52) | 5.0 (0.20) | 2.3 (0.09) | 120.4 (4.74) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.0 (0.04) | 7.1 (0.28) | 23.4 (0.92) | 24.6 (0.97) | 12.4 (0.49) | 0.8 (0.03) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 69.2 (2.72) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 1.7 (0.7) | 2.3 (0.9) | 2.5 (1.0) | 5.5 (2.2) | 8.4 (3.3) | 3.0 (1.2) | 0.2 (0.1) | 1.3 (0.5) | 6.5 (2.6) | 12.4 (4.9) | 5.0 (2.0) | 2.3 (0.9) | 51.2 (20.2) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 63 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 0 | 0 | 0 | trace | trace | 3 | 8 | 9 | 5 | trace | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | trace | 1 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 38 |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1961-1990[19] | |||||||||||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
