Cornwallis Island (Nunavut) facts for kids
Closeup of Cornwallis Island
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Northern Canada |
| Coordinates | 75°08′N 95°00′W / 75.133°N 95.000°W |
| Archipelago | Queen Elizabeth Islands Canadian Arctic Archipelago |
| Area | 6,995 km2 (2,701 sq mi) |
| Length | 113 km (70.2 mi) |
| Width | 95 km (59 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 359 m (1,178 ft) |
| Highest point | Unnamed High Point |
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Canada
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| Territory | Nunavut |
| Largest settlement | Resolute (pop. 198) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 198 |
| Pop. density | 0.03 /km2 (0.08 /sq mi) |
Cornwallis Island is a cool place in the Canadian Arctic. It's part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, which are a group of islands way up north in Canada. This island is found in the Nunavut territory.
Cornwallis Island is pretty big! It stretches about 113 kilometers (70 miles) long. Its total area is about 6,995 square kilometers (2,701 sq mi). This makes it the 96th largest island in the world. It is also Canada's 21st largest island.
Contents
Exploring Cornwallis Island
Cornwallis Island is surrounded by other islands. It lies west of Devon Island. A body of water called the Wellington Channel separates them. To the south, the Parry Channel separates it from Somerset Island.
Nearby Islands
Northwest of Cornwallis Island, you'll find Little Cornwallis Island. This is the largest of several small islands in the area. These islands are at the north end of McDougall Sound. This sound separates Cornwallis Island from Bathurst Island.
The Town of Resolute
On the southwestern coast of Cornwallis Island is its only town, Resolute. Its name in Inuktitut is Qausuittuq. This means "place with no dawn." In 2016, 198 people lived there.
Resolute is Canada's second most northerly public community. Right across from Resolute is Griffith Island. The water between them is called Resolute Passage. It is about 6.5 miles wide.
Resolute Bay Airport
The airport in Resolute is very important. It acts as a hub for communication. This means it connects many central Arctic islands in Nunavut.
Who Discovered Cornwallis Island?
The first European to visit Cornwallis Island was Sir William Edward Parry. He was a British explorer and naval officer. He explored the Arctic in 1819. The island is named after Sir William Cornwallis. He was an admiral in the Royal Navy.
Special Life Forms
Cornwallis Island is also home to tiny living things called hypoliths. These are special groups of microorganisms. They like to grow under ("hypo") stones ("lith"). It's a unique way for life to survive in the cold Arctic!
See also
In Spanish: Isla Cornwallis (Nunavut) para niños
