Bathurst Island (Nunavut)

Bathurst Iceland is one of the group of Queen Elizabeth Islands belonging Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.

Geography

The island is 16,042 km ² ranks among the largest islands of Canada an 13th place. Together with Cameron Iceland, Ile Vanier, Massey Iceland, Iceland Alexander and Helena Iceland it forms the Bathurst group of the Parry Islands. Your larger neighboring islands are Melville Iceland in the west, Cornwall and Devon in the South East Iceland Iceland in the east. In the south of the island borders the Viscount Melville Sound.

Bathurst Iceland is highly structured. Estuaries such as Bracebridge Inlet to the east and May Inlet and Young Inlet to the north cut deep into the island. This is relatively low, only a few areas rise above 300 m.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Arctic magnetic pole was at Bathurst Iceland before its position further shifted to the north.

Flora and Fauna

Because of the good soil, the vegetation is more abundant than in other Arctic islands. This also benefits the wildlife, to protect them in the central part of the island, the 2624 km ² large reserve Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area was established. Since 1982 it has been designated a Ramsar site. This is it, this is a located in the valley between Bracebridge Inlet and Goodsir Inlet vegetation rich arctic wetland with a growth of lichens, mosses, grasses, flowering plants and dwarf shrubs. About 30 species of birds, mostly waterfowl breed in the area, including Red Phalarope and barnacles. On land mammals two lemming species, the arctic fox, the wolf, the Peary caribou and muskox occur. In summer, polar bears through the valley on their way to Graham Moore Bay in the southwest. In the adjacent sea live ringed seals and walruses.

History

Bathurst Iceland was never permanently inhabited in historic times. To the east of the island, Brooman Point and Markham Point, but the settlement remains Paläoeskimo were found. From a European perspective the island on August 25, 1819 was discovered by Sir William Edward Parry in search of the Northwest Passage and named after Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst. The south and west coasts were explored in 1851 by Horatio Thomas Austin's search expedition for the lost John Franklin, the northern coast two years later by Sir Edward Belcher's expedition. In 1906 Joseph- Elzéar Bernier ( 1852-1934 ) the island formally for Canada in possession.