Igloolik Island is a small island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the Foxe Basin, very close to the Melville Peninsula (and to a lesser degree, Baffin Island), and it is often thought to be a part of the peninsula. It forms part of the Arctic Archipelago.
 Remnants of older Inuit sod houses in Igloolik Point | |
  Igloolik Island  Igloolik Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Foxe Basin |
| Coordinates | 69°23′N 81°40′W / 69.383°N 81.667°W[1] |
| Archipelago | Arctic Archipelago |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Nunavut | Nunavut |
| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Largest settlement | Igloolik |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,538 |
| Ethnic groups | Inuit |
The word Igloolik (Inuktitut: "there is an igloo here") comes from iglu (meaning: "house"/"building") and refers to the sod houses (qarmaq)[2] that were originally in the area.[3][4] Inuit and their ancestors have inhabited the island since 2000 BC. The archaeological sites on the island, which show a sequence up to 1000 AD, were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1978.[5][6]
There is only one community on the island, also named Igloolik.
Qikiqtaarjuk
editOn the north of Igloolik Island at 69°24′45″N 081°30′07″W / 69.41250°N 81.50194°W is a peninsula called Qikiqtaarjuk (Inuktitut syllabics: ᕿᑭᖅᑖᕐᔪᒃ,[7] English: little island).[8][9] About 400 – 500 years ago Qikiqtaarjuk was a separate island but due to isostatic rebound it became part of the main island.[8] Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (traditional knowledge) says that prior to that there was an even smaller island called Puqtuniq from which the waters receded forming Qikiqtaarjuk.[10] Qikiqtaarjuk is associated with several Inuit legends and stories and was the place from where Atanarjuat starts his run.[8][9][10]
Climate
editIgloolik has a polar climate (ET) with nine months averaging below 0 °C (32 °F). Winters are long and cold, with October being the snowiest month. Summers range from chilly to sometimes mild, with cold nights.
| Climate data for Igloolik (Igloolik Airport) Climate ID: 2402543; coordinates 69°22′N 81°49′W / 69.367°N 81.817°W; elevation: 52.7 m (173 ft); 1981–2010 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high humidex | −4.2 | −0.6 | −3.9 | 0.3 | 5.6 | 18.7 | 24.3 | 24.5 | 11.2 | 3.4 | −0.5 | −1.5 | 24.5 |
| Record high °C (°F) | −1.0 (30.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
1.5 (34.7) |
7.0 (44.6) |
16.5 (61.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
21.5 (70.7) |
11.5 (52.7) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
24.5 (76.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −28.4 (−19.1) |
−28.5 (−19.3) |
−24.2 (−11.6) |
−14.9 (5.2) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
3.8 (38.8) |
11.2 (52.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
1.6 (34.9) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−15.7 (3.7) |
−23.4 (−10.1) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −31.6 (−24.9) |
−31.8 (−25.2) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
−19.1 (−2.4) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
1.2 (34.2) |
7.4 (45.3) |
5.3 (41.5) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−8.1 (17.4) |
−19.2 (−2.6) |
−26.8 (−16.2) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −34.8 (−30.6) |
−35.1 (−31.2) |
−31.8 (−25.2) |
−23.3 (−9.9) |
−11.9 (10.6) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
3.6 (38.5) |
2.3 (36.1) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
−22.6 (−8.7) |
−30.2 (−22.4) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −47.0 (−52.6) |
−47.0 (−52.6) |
−47.0 (−52.6) |
−40.5 (−40.9) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−30.5 (−22.9) |
−37.0 (−34.6) |
−42.5 (−44.5) |
−47.0 (−52.6) |
| Record low wind chill | −60.9 | −65.9 | −58.3 | −48.6 | −35.5 | −21.3 | −4.3 | −10.8 | −17.9 | −49.8 | −49.9 | −56.4 | −65.9 |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 6.2 (0.24) |
7.8 (0.31) |
12.8 (0.50) |
16.7 (0.66) |
14.7 (0.58) |
13.2 (0.52) |
28.2 (1.11) |
35.1 (1.38) |
27.3 (1.07) |
34.5 (1.36) |
14.4 (0.57) |
11.6 (0.46) |
222.4 (8.76) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.2 (0.01) |
8.9 (0.35) |
28.2 (1.11) |
32.7 (1.29) |
15.9 (0.63) |
1.1 (0.04) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
86.9 (3.42) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 6.2 (2.4) |
7.9 (3.1) |
13.4 (5.3) |
17.1 (6.7) |
14.8 (5.8) |
4.5 (1.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.4 (0.9) |
11.1 (4.4) |
32.8 (12.9) |
14.5 (5.7) |
11.5 (4.5) |
136.2 (53.6) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.4 | 3.8 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 6.3 | 9.3 | 10.1 | 9.5 | 12.4 | 7.6 | 5.8 | 89.3 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 4.4 | 9.3 | 9.7 | 5.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 29.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 4.5 | 3.8 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 4.7 | 11.2 | 7.5 | 5.6 | 60.0 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73.3 | 80.5 | 73.2 | — | — | 79.8 | — | — | — | — | 81.4 | 78.6 | 77.8 |
| Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010[11] | |||||||||||||
See also
edit- Arvia'juaq and Qikiqtaarjuk National Historic Site, near Arviat in Nunavut formerly, an island but Qikiqtaarjuk is now part of the mainland
- Qikiqtaarjuk
References
edit- ^ "Igloolik Island". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ Irniq, Peter (February 2009). Joe Kremmidjuar Testimony. Isuma. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
- ^ "Igloolik, Nunavut". Archived from the original on 2012-11-13. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
- ^ "Igloolik". Qikiqtani Inuit Association. 2007. Archived from the original on 2010-07-06.
- ^ Igloolik Island Archaeological Sites National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Igloolik Island Archaeological Sites National Historic Site of Canada. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada.
- ^ "Qikiqtaarjuk". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ a b c Eber, Dorothy Harley (2008). Encounters on the Passage: Inuit Meet the Explorers. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-9275-5.
- ^ a b Aporta, Claudio (December 2003). "New Ways of Mapping: Using GPS Mapping Software to Plot Place Names and Trails in Igloolik (Nunavut)" (PDF). Arctic. 56 (4): 321–327. doi:10.14430/arctic629.
- ^ a b Kublu, Alexina (1999). "Interviewing Inuit Elders". Nunavut Arctic College. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08.
- ^ "Igloolik A". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment and Climate Change Canada. Climate ID: 2402543. Retrieved November 17, 2013.