Darnley Bay facts for kids

Darnley Bay is a large body of water in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Think of it like a big arm reaching out from a larger sea. It's a southern part of the Amundsen Gulf, which is a huge gulf in the Arctic Ocean.

This bay is quite big! It stretches about 45 kilometers (28 miles) long. At its widest point, where it opens up to the Amundsen Gulf, it's about 32 kilometers (20 miles) across.

Where is Darnley Bay?

Darnley Bay is located in the northern part of Canada. To its west, you'll find the Parry Peninsula, which is a piece of land surrounded by water on most sides. To the east, there's a place called Halcro Point.

The land around Darnley Bay is interesting. East of the bay, the land starts to rise. This area is part of the Canadian Shield, which is a very old and rocky part of North America. The landscape here was shaped by glaciers long ago, leaving behind lots of rocks and soil.

How Darnley Bay Got Its Name

Darnley Bay was named a long time ago by a man named John Richardson. He was a naturalist, someone who studies nature. Richardson was exploring the Arctic with another famous explorer, John Franklin. They were on what was called the Second Overland Expedition.

Richardson named the bay after John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley. It was common for explorers to name new places after important people or places from back home.

Exploring the Bay

For a long time, parts of Darnley Bay were not fully mapped. In 1915, a group called the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913-16 explored the area. They were the first to carefully map out the southern edge of Darnley Bay. "Delineate" means to clearly show or mark the boundaries of something.

A river called the Hornaday River flows into the southern part of Darnley Bay. This river is about 14 kilometers (9 miles) east of a small community. This community is a hamlet called Paulatuk. It's home to the Inuvialuit people, who are an Indigenous group living in the Canadian Arctic.