Baffin Island

Why Baffin Island is special
This remote land in northern Canada has a spectacular arctic landscape that attracts adventure travelers.

Baffin Island tips and insights
Auyuittuq National Park
It is the leading destination for adventure travelers. This park, located in southwestern Baffin Island, is noted for its impressive mountain peaks. Rock climbers and base jumpers love the vertical-drop cliffs, which are as high as 1,200 meters (4,000 feet).

Auyuittuq National Inlet
This destination in northwestern Baffin Island is also popular with adventure travelers. The area offers pristine peaks, fjords and glaciers while the sea coast is home to whales and polar bears.

Size
Baffin Island is 1600 kilometers (1000 miles) long and is the world's fifth largest island.

Population
It has a population of about 10,000. Most residents are Inuits.

Far north
Two-thirds of Baffin Island lies north of the Arctic Circle. Consequently, that segment experiences 24-hour daylight around June and July and 24-hour darkness around December and January.

Igaluit
This major southern coastal town serves as the capital of Canada's vast, cold and sparsely settled Nunavut Territory.

Landscape
The western side of the island is mainly tundra. The eastern portion is lined with a rugged, ice-capped mountain range soaring over 2100 meters (7,000 feet).

Intuits
They have inhabited Baffin Island for at least 1,500 years.

Vikings
Some evidence suggests that the Vikings were the first Europeans to see Baffin Island, about 1,000 years ago.

Name
The island was named for the 17th century British explorer William Baffin. He unsuccessfully sought the Northwest Passage.

Location in Canada