Lowther Island
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern Canada |
| Coordinates | 74°33′N 097°30′W / 74.550°N 97.500°W |
| Archipelago |
Queen Elizabeth Islands Canadian Arctic Archipelago |
| Area | 145 km2 (56 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
|
Canada | |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Lowther Island lies within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of northern Canada's territory of Nunavut. It is one of the mid-channel islands in the western sector of Barrow Strait.[1] Bathurst Island and Cornwallis Island are to the north, while Prince of Wales Island is to the south.[2] The island is clustered within a group of uninhabited islands. It is 15.5 mi (24.9 km) northeast of Young Island, separated by the Kettle Passage, a shipping route, and 13 mi (21 km) southeast of Garrett Island, separated by Hayes Channel.
Lowther Island is 17 mi (27 km) long, 2–6 mi (3.2–9.7 km) wide,[3] and 145 km2 (56 sq mi). It is rimmed by raised beaches, the highest being at 106.5 m (349 ft). above sea level. Gourdeau Point is on the island's south side, and Lowther Shoal is to the south/southeast.[4]
History
The first European to sight the island was William Edward Parry in 1819.[5] It is named after a relative of Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale (who visited Lowther Island himself), that worked for the Hudson's Bay Company.[6]
In August 1852, ÉMile-Frédéric de Bray, searching for Sir John Franklin, spent a week at Lowther Island and close-by Griffith Island.[7] The island was also visited by Francis Leopold McClintock as part of Capt. Henry Kellett's 1852 to 1854 expedition.[8]
References
- ↑ Bourne, Charles B. (1963). "Canadian Yearbook of International Law". Vancouver: Publication Centre, University of British Columbia: 101. ISBN 978-0-7748-0127-0. OCLC 2442067.
- ↑ Pharand, Donat; Legault, L.H. (1984). The Northwest Passage: Arctic Straits. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 7. ISBN 90-247-2979-3.
- ↑ "Lowther Island". The Columbia Gazetteer of North America. 2000. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ↑ Crawford, G.; Padman, L. (February 1997). "Physical Oceanographic Observations from the Resolute 1995 Ice Camp, Barrow Strait" (pdf). Oregon State University. pp. 39–40. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ↑ Parry, William Edward (1821). Journal of a voyage for the discovery of a North-West passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific: performed in the years 1819-20. London: John Murray.
- ↑ Birkenhead, Frederick E. (1977). Contemporary Personalities. Ayer Publishing. p. 229. ISBN 0-8369-0061-8.
- ↑ Bray, E. F. D.; Barr, W. (1992). A Frenchman in search of Franklin: de Bray's Arctic journal, 1852-1854. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 48–50. ISBN 0-8020-2813-6.
- ↑ Mowat, Farley (1973). Ordeal by ice; the search for the Northwest Passage (The Fate of Franklin). Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd. p. 288. OCLC 1391959.
External links
- Lowther Island in the Atlas of Canada - Toporama; Natural Resources Canada
Further reading
- Dyke, A. S. (1993). "Glacial and sea level history of Lowther and Griffith Islands, Northwest Territories: A hint of tectonics" (PDF). Géographie physique et Quaternaire. 47 (2): 133–145.