Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Foxe Basin |
Coordinates | 69°23′N 81°40′W / 69.383°N 81.667°W[1] |
Archipelago | Arctic Archipelago |
Administration | |
Canada | |
Nunavut | Nunavut |
Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
Largest settlement | Igloolik |
Demographics | |
Population | 1,538 |
Ethnic groups | Inuit |
Igloolik Island is a small island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the Foxe Basin, very close to the Melville Peninsula (and to a lesser degree, Baffin Island), and it is often thought to be a part of the peninsula. It forms part of the Arctic Archipelago.
The word Igloolik (Inuktitut: "there is an igloo here") comes from iglu (meaning: "house"/"building") and refers to the sod houses (qarmaq)[2] that were originally in the area.[3][4] Inuit and their ancestors have inhabited the island since 2000 BC. The archaeological sites on the island, which show a sequence up to 1000 AD, were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1978.[5][6]
There is only one community on the island, also named Igloolik.