Peel Sound facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peel Sound |
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 Peel Sound
Location in Nunavut
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| Coordinates | 73°00′N 096°30′W / 73.000°N 96.500°W |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Settlements | Uninhabited |
Peel Sound is a cold, icy waterway in the Arctic part of Canada. It's located in a region called Qikiqtaaluk, which is part of Nunavut. This important passage of water sits between two large islands: Somerset Island to the east and Prince of Wales Island to the west.
To the north, Peel Sound connects to the wider Parry Channel. In the south, it joins with another waterway called Franklin Strait. Because it's so far north, Peel Sound is often frozen solid with ice for most of the year.
Contents
Islands of Peel Sound
Peel Sound is not just open water; it also has several islands within it. These islands are often small and uninhabited, meaning no people live on them.
Some of the named islands you can find in Peel Sound include:
- Lock Island
- Vivian Island
- Prescott Island
- Pandora Island
- Otrick Island
- Barth Island
- De la Roquette Islands
- Gibson Island
Exploring Peel Sound
Many explorers have tried to travel through Peel Sound over the years. It was a key route for finding the Northwest Passage, a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic. However, the thick ice often made it very difficult or impossible to pass.
Early Explorers and Challenges
The famous explorer Sir John Franklin was one of the first to navigate Peel Sound in 1846. He was lucky because that summer was unusually warm, so the ice had melted enough for his ships to get through. Sadly, Franklin's expedition later got stuck in the ice and was lost.
Another explorer, James Clark Ross, mapped the eastern side of Peel Sound in 1849. He was part of a search party looking for Franklin's lost expedition.
Later Attempts to Pass Through
Years later, in 1858, Francis Leopold McClintock tried to sail through Peel Sound. He was also searching for clues about Franklin's expedition. However, he found the sound blocked by heavy ice and could not pass.
The same problem happened to Allen Young in 1875. He also attempted to sail through Peel Sound but was stopped by the ice. These attempts show how challenging and unpredictable the Arctic waters can be, even for experienced explorers.
See also
In Spanish: Estrecho de Peel para niños
