Melville Island (Northwest Territories and Nunavut)

Melville Iceland (English) or Île Melville (French) is an uninhabited island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and, with its western part of the Northwest Territories and with its eastern part to the Canadian territory of Nunavut.

It was visited in 1819 by British explorer Sir William Parry, its southern coast was explored in 1851 by Sir Francis Leopold McClintock. It is named after Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville said.

Geography

Melville Iceland is about 320 km long and 50 to 120 km wide. It is with an area of ​​42,149 km ² (according to other sources 37,680 km ²), the fourth largest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands and is in the list of the largest islands on earth 33rd place. The island is relatively hilly and at its highest point 776 m high. Inside it is covered partially by ice. From Victoria Island in the south it is separated by the Viscount Melville Sound, off the bench island in the southwest by the McClure Strait.

The vegetation is sparse. On the island live polar wolves, musk oxen in greater numbers, but few caribou.