Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Northern Canada |
Coordinates | 83°06′N 074°10′W / 83.100°N 74.167°W[1] |
Archipelago | Queen Elizabeth Islands |
Area | 13.9 km2 (5.4 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 415 m (1362 ft) |
Highest point | Walker Hill |
Administration | |
Canada | |
Territory | Nunavut |
Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
Demographics | |
Population | Uninhabited |
Ward Hunt Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Arctic Ocean, located off the north coast of Ellesmere Island near the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf. The island is located just 750 km (470 mi) from the geographical North Pole. The northern cape of Ward Hunt Island is one of the northernmost elements of land in Canada. Only a 17 km (11 mi) stretch of northern coast of Ellesmere Island around Cape Columbia is more northerly. The island is 5.0 km (3.1 mi) long, east to west, and 3.0 km (1.9 mi) wide. The first known sighting was in 1876 by Pelham Aldrich, a lieutenant with the George Nares expedition, and named for George Ward Hunt, who was First Lord of the Admiralty at the time (1874–1877). Today, the Island is part of the Quttinirpaaq National Park.