Meighen Island

Meighen Island

Meighen Island, Nunavut
Geography
Location	Arctic Ocean
Coordinates	79°59′N 099°30′W / 79.983°N 99.5°W / 79.983; -99.5 (Meighen Island)Coordinates: 79°59′N 099°30′W / 79.983°N 99.5°W / 79.983; -99.5 (Meighen Island)
Archipelago	Sverdrup Islands[1] Queen Elizabeth Islands Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Area	955 km2 (368.7 sq mi)
Country
Canada
Province	Nunavut
Region	Qikiqtaaluk
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

Closeup of Meighen Island

Meighen Island is an uninhabited member of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. Located at 79°55'N 99°30'W, it measures 955 km² (369 sq mi) in size and is topped with an ice cap. The island is continuously icebound, and its northwestern coast faces onto the open Arctic Ocean. The first known sighting of the island was in 1916, during the Canadian Arctic Expedition by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, and later named after Arthur Meighen, Canadian prime minister. Unlike many Canadian Arctic islands, no traces of Inuit or Thule camps have been found, suggesting the island has never been occupied, and this is likely due to its extreme northern latitude.

Meighen Island has few neighbours. It is about 40 km (25 mi) west of the next nearest major island, Axel Heiberg Island. About 4 km (2.5 mi) to Meighen's north, across the Hose Strait, lies small crescent-shaped Perley Island. The Fay Islands lie between Meighen Island and Axel Heiberg Island within the Sverdrup Channel.

References

1. ^ Mills, William James (2003). Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 421. ISBN 1-57607-422-6.