Mackenzie King Island is one of the uninhabited
Queen Elizabeth Islands
The Queen Elizabeth Islands (french: Îles de la Reine-Élisabeth; formerly Parry Islands or Parry Archipelago) are the northernmost cluster of islands in Canada's Arctic Archipelago, split between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in Northe ...
in northern Canada. It lies north of
Melville Island and south of
Borden Island
Borden Island is an uninhabited, low-lying island in the Queen Elizabeth Islands of northern Canada.
Some features and history
With an area of in size, long and wide, Borden is the List of islands by area, 171st largest island in the world, a ...
, and like them is divided when it comes to administration. Most of the island is in
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
, while its easternmost portion lies in
Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
. The border runs along the
110th meridian west
The meridian 110° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.
The 110th meridian west forms a great ...
.
Mackenzie King has an area of , long in northeast or in southeast and wide, making it the
116th largest island in the world, and
Canada's 26th largest island.
History
The first known visit to the island was by
Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson (November 3, 1879 – August 26, 1962) was an Arctic explorer and ethnologist. He was born in Manitoba, Canada.
Early life
Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Arnes, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. His parents had ...
in 1915, and it was later named for
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Li ...
.
References
Further reading
* Vilks, G. ''Foraminiferal Study of East Bay, Mackenzie King Island, District of Franklin (Polar Continental Shelf Project)''.
ttawa Dept. of Mines and Technical Surveys, 1964.
External links
Mackenzie King Island in the Atlas of Canada - Toporama; Natural Resources Canada
Islands of the Queen Elizabeth Islands
Uninhabited islands of Qikiqtaaluk Region
Uninhabited islands of the Northwest Territories
Borders of Nunavut
Borders of the Northwest Territories
{{QikiqtaalukNU-geo-stub