Prince Patrick Island
island in the Northwest Territories, Canada
Key facts
- Location
- Northern Canada
- Archipelago
- Queen Elizabeth Islands , Arctic Archipelago
- Area
- 15,848 km (6,119 sq mi)
- Area rank
- 55th
- Highest elevation
- 279 m (915 ft)
- Highest point
- unnamed
- Territory
- Northwest Territories
- Population
- Uninhabited
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
A member of the Arctic Archipelago, Prince Patrick Island is the westernmost of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in the Northwest Territories of Canada, lying northwest of Melville Island. The area of Prince Patrick Island is 15,848 km (6,119 sq mi), making it the 55th largest island in the world and Canada's 14th largest island. It has historically been icebound all year, making it one of the least accessible parts of Canada. Located at the entrance of the M'Clure Strait, Prince Patrick Island is uninhabited.
The first known sighting of the island was in 1853 by the Irish naval officer George Mecham, when it was explored by him and his fellow Irish explorer Francis Leopold McClintock in the spring of that year during the Edward Belcher expedition. Much later, it was named for Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught, who was Governor General of Canada from 1911 to 1916.