View source for Baffin Island

{{short description|Largest Arctic island in Nunavut, Canada}}
{{use Canadian English|date=April 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox islands
| name = Baffin Island
| native_name = {{lang|iu-Cans|ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ}} ({{lang|iu-Latn|Qikiqtaaluk}})
| native_name_link = Inuktitut
| image_name = Baffin.png
| image_caption =
| image_size =
| map_image= Baffin Island, Canada.svg
| nickname =
| location = [[Northern Canada]]
| pushpin_map = Canada Nunavut#Canada
| pushpin_label =
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_relief = 1
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|68|N|70|W|type:isle_region:CA-NU_scale:10000000|notes=<ref name=CGNDBE/>|display=inline,title|name=Baffin Island}}
| archipelago = [[Arctic Archipelago]]
| total_islands =
| major_islands =
| area_km2 = 507451
| rank = 5th
| highest_mount = [[Mount Odin]]
| elevation_m= 2147
| country = Canada
| country_admin_divisions_title = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Territory]]
| country_admin_divisions = [[Nunavut]]
| country_largest_city = [[Iqaluit]]
| country_largest_city_population = 7,429<ref name=2021censusNU/>
| country_leader_title =
| country_leader_name =
| population = 13,039<ref name=2021censusNU/><ref>Does not include [[Kinngait]] (1,396) and [[Qikiqtarjuaq]] (593). Both of which do not lie on Baffin Island proper</ref>
| population_as_of = 2021
| density_km2 = 0.03
| ethnic_groups = [[Inuit]] (72.7%), non-Aboriginal (25.3%), [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] (0.7%), [[Métis]] (0.5%)<ref>[http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-594/details/page_SelReg1.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204005&Geo2=PR&Code2=62&Data=Count&SearchText=Kimmirut&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=62&B1=All&Custom=&GeoLevel=PR&GeoRegionCode=62 2006 Aboriginal Population Profile] for Nunavut communities.</ref>
| additional_info =
}}

'''Baffin Island''' (formerly '''Baffin Land'''),<ref>[http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/89ea188dba3611d892e2080020a0f4c9 Baffin Island / Île de Baffin (Formerly Baffin Land)]</ref> in the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian territory]] of [[Nunavut]], is the [[list of Canadian islands by area|largest island in Canada]], the second-largest island in the Americas (behind [[Greenland]]), and the [[list of islands by area|fifth-largest island in the world]]. Its area is {{cvt|507451|km2}} (slightly smaller than [[Thailand]]) with a population density of {{Pop density|13039|507451|km2|sqmi|prec=3}}; the population was 13,039 according to the [[2021 Canadian census]];<ref name=2021censusNU/> and it is located at {{coord|68|N|70|W|type:isle_region:CA-NU_scale:10000000|notes=<ref name=CGNDBE>{{cite cgndb |id=OABML|name=Baffin Island}}</ref>|name=Baffin Island}}. It also contains the city of [[Iqaluit]] (with a population of around 7,000), which is the capital of Nunavut.

==Name==
The [[Inuktitut]] name for the island is {{transliteration|iu|Qikiqtaaluk}},<ref>{{Cite web|title=Inuit Heritage Trust: Place Names Program: Map Series|url=http://ihti.ca/eng/place-names/pn-seri.html|access-date=2021-06-29|website=ihti.ca}}</ref> which means "very big island" ({{transliteration|iu|qikiqtaq}} "island" + {{nowrap|{{transliteration|iu|-aluk}}}} "very big") and in [[Inuktitut syllabics]] is written as {{lang|iu|ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ}}. This name is used for the administrative region the island is part of ([[Qikiqtaaluk Region]]), as well as in multiple places in Nunavut and the [[Northwest Territories]],<ref>[http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/search?id=&snrc=&q=Qikiqtaaluk&category= Canadian Geographical Names Database (CGNDB) Search Results for Qikiqtaaluk]</ref> such as some smaller islands: [[Qikiqtaaluk]] in [[Baffin Bay]] and [[Qikiqtaaluk (Foxe Basin)|Qikiqtaaluk]] in [[Foxe Basin]]. [[Norse settlement of North America|Norse explorers]] are believed to have referred to it as {{lang|non|[[Helluland]]}} ("stone land").<ref name="nunnews" />

In 1576, English seaman [[Martin Frobisher]], the namesake of [[Frobisher Bay]], made landfall on the island, naming it "Queen Elizabeth's Foreland".<ref>McDermott, James (2001a). Martin Frobisher: Elizabethan Privateer. Yale University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-300-08380-4}}, page 139</ref> The island is named after English explorer [[William Baffin]], who, in 1616,<ref>{{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Baffin, William |volume=3 |ref={{harvid|''EB''|1911}} |page=192 }}</ref> came across the island while trying to discover the [[Northwest Passage]].<ref name="geo">{{cite book|last1=Quinn|first1=Joyce A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ErkxBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82|title=Earth's Landscape: An Encyclopedia of the World's Geographic Features|last2=Woodward|first2=Susan L.|date=January 13, 2015|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-446-9|page=82}}</ref>

It was also formerly known as '''James Island'''.<ref>{{citation |last= |first= |editor-last=Smellie |editor-first=William |editor-link=William Smellie |display-editors=0 |contribution=[[:File:EB1 Plate LXXXVII Fig. 2 World.png|Plate LXXXVII. Fig. 2. World.]] |title=[[:s:EB1|Encyclopaedia Britannica]] |edition=1st |volume=II |date=1771 |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Colin Macfarquhar]] }}.</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Baffin_topo.png|thumb|left|Topography of Baffin Island]]
[[File:Baffin Island Northeast Coast 1997-08-07.jpg|thumb|left|Coast of the [[Remote Peninsula]] in [[Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti]] (Sam Ford Fjord), northeast Baffin Island]]
[[File:Baffin Island.jpg|thumb|left|Southern tip of Baffin Island]]
[[File:Mount Thor Peak 1997-08-07.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mount Thor]], a large cliff on Baffin Island]]
[[File:Dorset,_Norse,_and_Thule_cultures_900-1500.svg|thumb|Map of Thule expansion in Canada and Greenland]]
[[File:Plane buzzes Pangnirtung.jpg|thumb|[[Pangnirtung]]]]
[[Iqaluit]], the capital of Nunavut, is located on the southeastern coast. Until 1987, the town was called Frobisher Bay, after the English name for [[Frobisher Bay]] on which it is located, named for [[Martin Frobisher]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frobisher Bay {{!}} Canada, Map, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Frobisher-Bay |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> That year, the community voted to restore the [[Inuktitut]] name.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iqaluit.ca/visitors/explore-iqaluit/history |title=About Iqaluit: History & Milestones | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421042104/https://www.iqaluit.ca/visitors/explore-iqaluit/history |archive-date=2019-04-21 }}</ref>

To the south lies [[Hudson Strait]], separating Baffin Island from mainland [[Quebec]].<ref name="baff">{{cite web |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Hudson+Strait&x=0&y=0 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101042239/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Hudson+Strait&x=0&y=0 |url-status=dead |title=The Atlas of Canada - Search (Hudson Strait) |date=January 1, 2013 |archive-date=January 1, 2013 |website=archive.is}}</ref> South of the western end of the island is the [[Fury and Hecla Strait]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Fury+and+Hecla+Strait&x=10&y=10 |title=Fury and Hecla Strait |access-date=October 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002061733/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Fury+and+Hecla+Strait&x=10&y=10 |archive-date=October 2, 2012|url-status=dead }}</ref> which separates the island from the [[Melville Peninsula]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Melville+Peninsula&x=8&y=7|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101031838/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Melville+Peninsula&x=8&y=7|url-status=dead |title=The Atlas of Canada - Search (Melville Peninsula) |date=January 1, 2013|archive-date=January 1, 2013|website=archive.is}}</ref> on the mainland. To the east are [[Davis Strait]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Davis+Strait&x=10&y=10 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101034549/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Davis+Strait&x=10&y=10 |url-status=dead |title=The Atlas of Canada - Search (Davis Strait) |date=January 1, 2013|archive-date=January 1, 2013|website=archive.is}}</ref> and [[Baffin Bay]],<ref name="bff">{{cite web |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Baffin+Bay&x=0&y=0 |title=The Atlas of Canada - Search (Baffin Bay) |date=April 2, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006183318/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Baffin+Bay&x=0&y=0 |archive-date=October 6, 2012}} with Greenland to the east</ref> with Greenland beyond.<ref name="baff"/> [[Prince Regent Inlet]] and the [[Gulf of Boothia]] separate the island from the [[Somerset Island (Nunavut)|Somerset Island]] and [[Boothia Peninsula]], respectively. The [[Foxe Basin]], with the [[Prince Charles Island]], is in the southwest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Foxe+Basin&x=0&y=0|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101015703/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Foxe+Basin&x=0&y=0|url-status=dead|title=The Atlas of Canada - Search (Foxe Basin) |date=January 1, 2013|archive-date=January 1, 2013|website=archive.is}}</ref> In the north, the [[Lancaster Sound]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Lancaster+Sound&image2_x=18&image2_y=10 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101031242/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Lancaster+Sound&image2_x=18&image2_y=10 |url-status=dead |title=The Atlas of Canada - Search (Lancaster Sound) |date=January 1, 2013 |archive-date=January 1, 2013 |website=archive.is}}</ref> separates it from the [[Devon Island]] and the rest of the [[Queen Elizabeth Islands]].

The [[Baffin Mountains]] run along the northeastern coast of the island and are a part of the [[Arctic Cordillera]]. The highest peak is [[Mount Odin]], with an elevation of at least {{cvt|2143|m}}, although some sources say {{cvt|2147|m}}.<ref>{{cite peakbagger|pid=695|name=Mount Odin, Nunavut}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/mountains.html#nu|title=Mount Odin at the Atlas of Canada|access-date=October 6, 2007|archive-date=June 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625111115/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/mountains.html#nu|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another peak of note is [[Mount Asgard]], located in [[Auyuittuq National Park]], with an elevation of {{cvt|2011|m}}. [[Mount Thor]], with an elevation of {{cvt|1675|m}}, is said to have the [[Extremes on Earth#Greatest vertical drop|greatest purely vertical drop]] (a sheer cliff face) of any mountain on Earth, at {{cvt|1250|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dailygalaxy.com/2012/11/image-of-the-day-baffin-islands-mount-thor-the-greatest-vertical-drop-on-earth/#more-7807|title=Mount Thor -The Greatest Vertical Drop on Earth!|date=November 19, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The two largest lakes on the island lie in the south-central part of the island: [[Nettilling Lake]] ({{cvt|5542|km2|disp=semicolon}}) and [[Amadjuak Lake]] ({{cvt|3115|km2|disp=semicolon}}) further south.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/lakes.html/#nunavut|title=Nunavut – Lake Areas and Elevation (lakes larger than 400 square kilometres)|access-date=October 13, 2012|archive-date=January 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114222216/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/lakes.html/#nunavut|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Nettilling+Lake&image2_x=0&image2_y=0|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101030726/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Nettilling+Lake&image2_x=0&image2_y=0|url-status=dead|title=The Atlas of Canada - Search (Nettilling Lake) |date=January 1, 2013|archive-date=January 1, 2013|website=archive.is}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Amadjuak+Lake&x=0&y=0 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101071049/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/search/search_results?expression=Amadjuak+Lake&x=0&y=0 |url-status=dead |title=The Atlas of Canada - Search (Amadjuak Lake) |date=January 1, 2013 |archive-date=January 1, 2013 |website=archive.is}}</ref>

==History==
Baffin Island has been inhabited for over 3,000 years, first by the [[pre-Dorset]], followed by the [[Dorset culture|Dorset]], and then by the [[Thule people]], ancestors of the [[Inuit]], who have lived on the island for the last thousand years.<ref name="Brooke2016">{{cite encyclopedia|article=Pre-Dorset Culture|encyclopedia=The Oxford Handbook of the Prehistoric Arctic|author1=S. Brooke|volume=1|author2=R. Park|editor1=M. Friesen|editor2=O. Mason|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199766956.013.39|year=2016}}</ref><ref name="CBC 2018"/> The Thule people genetically and culturally completely replaced the Dorset people some time after 1300&nbsp;CE.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Study Offers Clues to Swift Arctic Extinction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/science/study-offers-clues-to-arctic-mystery-paleo-eskimos-abrupt-extinction.html |work=The New York Times |date=August 28, 2014}}</ref>

In about 986, Erik Thorvaldsson, known as [[Erik the Red]],<ref name="Wallace 2003">{{cite journal |first=Birgitta |last=Wallace |title=The Norse in Newfoundland: L'Anse aux Meadows and Vinland |journal=The New Early Modern Newfoundland |volume=19 |issue=1 |date=2003 |url=https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/nflds/article/view/140/236}}</ref> formed three settlements near the southwestern tip of Greenland.<ref name=Brown2000>[http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/ The Fate of Greenland's Vikings], by Dale Mackenzie Brown, ''Archaeological Institute of America'', February 28, 2000</ref> In late 985 or 986, [[Bjarni Herjólfsson]], sailing from Iceland to Greenland, was blown off course and sighted land southwest of Greenland. Bjarni appears to be the first European to see Baffin Island, and the first European to see North America beyond Greenland.<ref name="Wallace 2003"/> About 15 years later the [[Norse settlements in Greenland|Norse Greenlanders]], led by [[Leif Erikson]], a son of Erik the Red, started exploring new areas around the year 1000.<ref name="Wallace 2003"/> Baffin Island is thought to be [[Helluland]], and the archaeological site at [[Tanfield Valley]] is thought to have been a trading post.<ref name="Þórðarson">{{cite news |url=http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en |title=The Saga of Erik the Red |work=The Icelandic Saga Database |publisher=Sveinbjörn Þórðarson |access-date=January 12, 2019|quote=This land they gave name to, and called it Helluland (stone-land).}}</ref><ref>CBC, ''[[The Nature of Things]]'' episode [http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episode/the-norse-an-arctic-mystery.html "The Norse: An Arctic Mystery"], season 2012–2013, episode 5, airdate November 22, 2012; [https://web.archive.org/web/20121127184750/http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episode/the-norse-an-arctic-mystery.html archived] at the [[Wayback Machine]], November 27, 2012.</ref> The ''[[Saga of Erik the Red]]'', 1880 translation into English by J. Sephton from the original Icelandic {{langx|is|Eiríks saga rauða|links=no|label=none}}:

{{Blockquote|They sailed away from land; then to the Vestribygd and to Bjarneyjar (the Bear Islands). Thence they sailed away from Bjarneyjar with northerly winds. They were out at sea two half-days. Then they came to land, and rowed along it in boats, and explored it, and found there flat stones, many and so great that two men might well lie on them stretched on their backs with heel to heel. Polar-foxes were there in abundance. This land they gave name to, and called it Helluland (stone-land).<ref name="Þórðarson"/>}}
In September 2008, the ''[[Nunatsiaq News]]'', a weekly newspaper, reported that [[Patricia Sutherland]], who worked at the [[Canadian Museum of History|Canadian Museum of Civilization]], had found [[Archaeology|archaeological]] remains of [[yarn]] and [[rope|cordage]] [[string (structure)|[string]]], rat droppings, [[tally stick]]s, a carved wooden Dorset culture [[Masks among Eskimo peoples|face mask]] depicting [[Caucasian race|Caucasian]] features, and possible architectural remains, which indicated that European traders and possibly settlers had been on Baffin Island not later than 1000&nbsp;CE.<ref name=nunnews>{{cite news| url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/Hare_fur_yarn_wooden_tally_sticks_may_mean_visitors_arrived_1000_years_ago/ | title=Hare fur yarn, wooden tally sticks may mean visitors arrived 1,000 years ago|first= Jane|last= George | newspaper= [[Nunatsiaq News]]| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801053318/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/Hare_fur_yarn_wooden_tally_sticks_may_mean_visitors_arrived_1000_years_ago/ |archive-date=August 1, 2018}}</ref> What the source of this [[Old World]] contact may have been is unclear and controversial;<ref name="CBC 2018">{{cite web|last=Weber|first=Bob|title=Ancient Arctic people may have known how to spin yarn long before Vikings arrived|work=Old theories being questioned in light of carbon-dated yarn samples|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/vikings-yarn-inuit-research-1.4757237|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]|date=July 22, 2018|access-date=January 2, 2019|quote=... Michele Hayeur Smith of Brown University in Rhode Island, lead author of a recent paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science. Hayeur Smith and her colleagues were looking at scraps of yarn, perhaps used to hang amulets or decorate clothing, from ancient sites on Baffin Island and the Ungava Peninsula. The idea that you would have to learn to spin something from another culture was a bit ludicrous," she said. "It's a pretty intuitive thing to do.}}</ref><ref name="Globe 2014">{{cite news|last1=Stueck|first1=Wendy|last2=Taylor|first2=Kate|title=Canadian Museum of History reveals researcher was fired for harassment|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/museum-reveals-researcher-was-fired-for-harassment-after-cbc-interview/article21965542/|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=December 4, 2014|access-date=January 3, 2019|quote=On the program, host Carol Off interviewed Dr. Sutherland [...] Off asked Dr. Sutherland whether she might have been fired from the Canadian Museum of Civilization (which was renamed the Canadian Museum of History last year) because her research was out of step with government views of Canadian history. Sutherland agreed [...]}}</ref><ref name=barber1992>Barber, Elizabeth Wayland (1992) [https://books.google.com/books?id=HnSlynSfeEIC ''Prehistoric Textiles: The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with Special Reference to the Aegean''], Princeton University Press, "We now have at least two pieces of evidence that this important principle of twisting for strength dates to the [[Palaeolithic]]. In 1953, the Abbé Glory was investigating floor deposits in a steep corridor of the famed [[Lascaux]] caves in southern France [...] a long piece of Palaeolithic cord [...] neatly twisted in the S direction [...] from three Z-plied strands [...]" {{ISBN|0-691-00224-X}}</ref><ref name="JAS2018">{{cite journal|first1=Michèle Hayeur|last1=Smith|first2=Kevin P.|last2=Smith|first3=Gørill|last3=Nilsen|s2cid=52035803|title=Dorset, Norse, or Thule? Technological Transfers, Marine Mammal Contamination, and AMS Dating of Spun Yarn and Textiles from the Eastern Canadian Arctic|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|publisher=[[Elsevier]]|date=August 2018|doi=10.1016/j.jas.2018.06.005|quote=However, the date received on Sample 4440b from Nanook clearly indicates that sinew was being spun and plied at least as early, if not earlier, than yarn at this site. We feel that the most parsimonious explanation of this data is that the practice of spinning hair and wool into plied yarn most likely developed naturally within this context of complex, indigenous, Arctic fiber technologies, and not through contact with European textile producers.|doi-access=free|hdl=10037/14501|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name="LS2019"/> the newspaper article states:

{{blockquote|Dating of some yarn and other artifacts, presumed to be left by [[Vikings]] on Baffin Island, have produced an age that predates the Vikings by several hundred years.

So, as Sutherland said, if you believe that spinning was not an indigenous technique that was used in Arctic North America, then you have to consider the possibility that as "remote as it may seem," these finds may represent evidence of contact with Europeans prior to the Vikings' arrival in Greenland.<ref name=nunnews/>}}

Sutherland's research eventually led to a 2012 announcement that [[Sharpening stone|whetstones]] had been found with remnants of alloys indicative of Viking presence.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vikingrune.com/2012/10/viking-tanfield-valley-baffin-island/ |title=Tanfield Valley on Baffin Island: Proven Viking Site in North America |website=www.vikingrune.com}}</ref> In 2018, Michele Hayeur Smith of [[Brown University]], who specialises in the study of [[History of clothing and textiles|ancient textiles]], wrote that she does not think the ancient Arctic people, the Dorset and Thule, needed to be taught how to spin yarn: "It's a pretty intuitive thing to do."<ref name="CBC 2018"/>

{{Blockquote|...the date received on Sample 4440b from [[Tanfield Valley|Nanook]] clearly indicates that sinew was being spun and plied at least as early, if not earlier, than yarn at this site. We feel that the most parsimonious explanation of this data is that the practice of spinning hair and wool into plied yarn most likely developed naturally within this context of complex, indigenous, Arctic fiber technologies, and not through contact with European textile producers. [...] Our investigations indicate that [[Paleo-Eskimo|Paleoeskimo]] (Dorset) communities on Baffin Island spun threads from the hair and also from the sinews of native terrestrial grazing animals, most likely [[Muskox|musk ox]] and [[arctic hare]], throughout the Middle Dorset period and for at least a millennium before there is any reasonable evidence of European activity in the islands of the North Atlantic or in the North American Arctic.|''[[Journal of Archaeological Science]]'', August 2018<ref name="JAS2018"/>}}
{{Blockquote|A long-running debate disputes whether the Vikings taught indigenous peoples in the Canadian Arctic how to spin yarn when the invaders arrived in the region around 1,000 years ago. The team found that some of the spun yarn dates back at least 2,000 years, long before the Vikings arrived in the area. This shows that the indigenous peoples in the Canadian Arctic developed yarn-spinning technologies without any help from the Vikings, the scientists said.|''[[Live Science]]'', October 16, 2018<ref name="LS2019">{{cite web|last=Jarus|first=Owen|title=Do Canadian Carvings Depict Vikings? Removing Mammal Fat May Tell|url=https://www.livescience.com/63839-viking-carvings-mystery.html |publisher=[[Live Science]]|date=October 16, 2018|access-date=January 14, 2019|quote=This shows that the indigenous peoples in the Canadian Arctic developed yarn-spinning technologies without any help from the Vikings}}</ref>}}

[[William W. Fitzhugh]], director of the Arctic Studies Center at the [[Smithsonian Institution]], and a senior scientist at the [[National Museum of Natural History]], wrote that there is insufficient published evidence to support Sutherland's claims, and that the Dorset were using spun cordage by the 6th century.<ref>{{cite web|last=Armstrong|first=Jane|title=Vikings in Canada?|work=A researcher says she's found evidence that Norse sailors may have settled in Canada's Arctic. Others aren't so sure.|url=http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/a-twist-in-time |publisher=[[Maclean's]]|date=November 20, 2012|access-date=January 15, 2019|quote=In fact, Fitzhugh thinks the cord at the centre of Sutherland's "eureka" moment is a Dorset artifact. "We have very good evidence that this kind of spun cordage was being used hundreds of years before the Norse arrived in the New World, in other words 500 to 600 CE, at the least," he says.}}</ref>

In 1992, [[Elizabeth Wayland Barber]] wrote that a piece of [[Plying|three-ply]] yarn that dates to the [[Paleolithic]] era, that ended about 10,000 BP, was found at the [[Lascaux]] caves in France. This yarn consisted of three s-twist strands that were z-plied, much like the way a three-ply yarn is made now, the Baffin Island yarn was a simple two-ply yarn.<ref name="barber1992" /> The eight sod buildings and artifacts found in the 1960s at [[L'Anse aux Meadows]], located on the northern tip of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland Island]], remains the only confirmed Norse site in North America outside of those found in Greenland.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jarus|first=Owen |title=Archaeologists Closer to Finding Lost Viking Settlement |url=https://www.livescience.com/61937-lost-viking-settlement-search.html |publisher=[[Live Science]] |date=March 6, 2018 |access-date=January 14, 2019 |quote=If Hóp is found it would be the second Viking settlement to be discovered in North America. The other is at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland.}}</ref>

==Administration==
Baffin Island is part of the [[Qikiqtaaluk Region]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=QIKIQTAALUK REGION |url=https://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2024-08/03_-_Info_about_Qikiqtaaluk_Region.pdf}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Location map+|CAN NU Qikiqtaaluk|width=300|caption=Location of communities on Baffin Island|float=left|places =
{{Location map~ |CAN NU Qikiqtaaluk
|label = [[Arctic Bay]]<ref name=OABBP>{{Cite cgndb|OABBP|Arctic Bay}}</ref>
|mark = Western Canada Map Assets Hamlet.svg|marksize = 6
|position = left
|lat_deg = 73|lat_min = 02|lat_sec = 00|lat_dir = N|lon_deg = 085|lon_min = 10|lon_sec = 00|lon_dir = W }}
{{Location map~ |CAN NU Qikiqtaaluk
|label = [[Clyde River, Nunavut|Clyde River]]<ref name=OADOO>{{Cite cgndb|OADOO|Clyde River}}</ref>
|mark = Western Canada Map Assets Hamlet.svg|marksize = 6
|lat_deg = 70|lat_min = 28|lat_sec = 05|lat_dir = N|lon_deg = 068|lon_min = 35|lon_sec = 40|lon_dir = W }}
{{Location map~ |CAN NU Qikiqtaaluk
|label = ''[[Iqaluit]]''<ref name=OATRP>{{Cite cgndb|OATRP|Iqaluit}}</ref>
|position = right
|mark = Western Canada Map Assets City.svg|marksize = 12|label_size = 140
|lat_deg = 63|lat_min = 45|lat_sec = 00|lat_dir = N|lon_deg = 068|lon_min = 31|lon_sec = 00|lon_dir = W }}
{{Location map~ |CAN NU Qikiqtaaluk
|label = [[Kimmirut]]<ref name=OAUDP>{{Cite cgndb|OAUDP|Kimmirut}}</ref>
|mark = Western Canada Map Assets Hamlet.svg|marksize = 6
|position = bottom
|lat_deg = 62|lat_min = 50|lat_sec = 48|lat_dir = N|lon_deg = 069|lon_min = 52|lon_sec = 19|lon_dir = W }}
{{Location map~ |CAN NU Qikiqtaaluk
|label = [[Pangnirtung]]<ref name=OAMLL>{{Cite cgndb|OAMLL|Pangnirtung}}</ref>
|mark = Western Canada Map Assets Hamlet.svg|marksize = 6
|position = right
|lat_deg = 66|lat_min = 08|lat_sec = 40|lat_dir = N|lon_deg = 065|lon_min = 42|lon_sec = 55|lon_dir = W }}
{{Location map~ |CAN NU Qikiqtaaluk
|label = [[Pond Inlet]]<ref name=OANAZ>{{Cite cgndb|OANAZ|Pond Inlet}}</ref>
|mark = Western Canada Map Assets Hamlet.svg|marksize = 6
|position = right
|lat_deg = 72|lat_min = 42|lat_sec = 00|lat_dir = N|lon_deg = 077|lon_min = 57|lon_sec = 40|lon_dir = W }}
{{Location map~ |CAN NU Qikiqtaaluk
|label = [[Nanisivik]]<ref name=OALHI>{{Cite cgndb|OALHI|Nanisivik}}</ref>
|mark = Western Canada Map Assets Village.svg|marksize = 6
|position = top
|lat_deg = 73|lat_min = 02|lat_sec = 00|lat_dir = N|lon_deg = 084|lon_min = 33|lon_sec = 00|lon_dir = W }}
}}
The population of Baffin Island at the [[2021 Canadian census]] was 13,039<ref name=2021censusNU/> giving a population density of {{Pop density|13039|507451|km2|sqmi|prec=2}}. The population accounts for 67.37 per cent of the 19,355 people in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, 56.51 per cent of the population of the [[Arctic Archipelago]], and 35.38 per cent of the population of Nunavut.<ref name=2021censusNU/><ref name=2021censusNWT>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000261 | title= Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Northwest Territories | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://census.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Nunavut&DGUIDlist=2021A00036204,2021A000262&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0|title=Qikiqtaaluk, Region (REG) Nunavut [Census division] and Nunavut [Territory]|date=April 26, 2022|access-date=May 22, 2022|archive-date=June 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611122520/https://census.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Nunavut&DGUIDlist=2021A00036204,2021A000262&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As of the [[2016 Canadian census]] the majority, 74.06 per cent, were [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples]] and 25.83 per cent were non-Indigenous.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2017-02-08 |title=2011 Census of Population - Data products |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/index-eng.cfm |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref> This compares to 88.85 per cent and 14.12 per cent Indigenous and non-Indigenous people for Nunavut as a whole. This lower percentage of Indigenous peoples on Baffin Island results from Iqaluit being 59.29 per cent Indigenous and 40.65 per cent non-Indigenous. Of the total population 72.17 per cent are [[Inuit]], 0.92 per cent are [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]], and 0.73 per cent are [[Métis]]. Except for a few First Nations people in Arctic Bay all non-Inuit Indigenous peoples live in Iqaluit.<ref name=AB2016>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/abpopprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204018&Data=Count&SearchText=Arctic%20Bay&SearchType=Begins&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=6204018&SEX_ID=1&AGE_ID=1&RESGEO_ID=1 |title=Aboriginal Population Profile, 2016 Census Arctic Bay, Hamlet [Census subdivision], Nunavut|date=June 19, 2019|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=CR2016>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/abpopprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204015&Data=Count&SearchText=Clyde%20River&SearchType=Begins&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=6204015&SEX_ID=1&AGE_ID=1&RESGEO_ID=1 |title=Aboriginal Population Profile, 2016 Census Clyde River, Hamlet [Census subdivision], Nunavut|date=June 19, 2019|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=IQ2016>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/abpopprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204003&Data=Count&SearchText=Iqaluit&SearchType=Begins&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=6204003&SEX_ID=1&AGE_ID=1&RESGEO_ID=1 |title=Aboriginal Population Profile, 2016 Census Iqaluit, City [Census subdivision], Nunavut|date=June 19, 2019|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=KI2016>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/abpopprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204005&Data=Count&SearchText=Kimmirut&SearchType=Begins&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=6204005&SEX_ID=1&AGE_ID=1&RESGEO_ID=1 |title=Aboriginal Population Profile, 2016 Census Kimmirut, Hamlet [Census subdivision], Nunavut|date=June 19, 2019|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=PA2016>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/abpopprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204009&Data=Count&SearchText=Pangnirtung&SearchType=Begins&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=6204009&SEX_ID=1&AGE_ID=1&RESGEO_ID=1 |title=Aboriginal Population Profile, 2016 Census Pangnirtung, Hamlet [Census subdivision], Nunavut|date=June 19, 2019|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=PI2016>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/abpopprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204020&Data=Count&SearchText=Pond%20Inlet&SearchType=Begins&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=6204020&SEX_ID=1&AGE_ID=1&RESGEO_ID=1 |title=Aboriginal Population Profile, 2016 Census Pond Inlet, Hamlet [Census subdivision], Nunavut|date=June 19, 2019|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=NU2016>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/abpopprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=AB&Code1=2016C1005085&Data=Count&SearchText=Nunavut&SearchType=Begins&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=2016C1005085&SEX_ID=1&AGE_ID=1&RESGEO_ID=1 |title=Aboriginal Population Profile, 2016 Census Nunavut [Inuit region], Nunavut|date=June 19, 2019|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Sea Ice off Baffin Island.jpg|thumb|[[Sea ice]] off Baffin Island]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Population figures
|-
! City or hamlet !! 2021<ref name=2021censusNU>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000262 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nunavut | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | access-date=February 19, 2022}}</ref> !! 2016<ref name="StatsCan2017">{{cite web |title=Statistics Canada. 2017. Census Profile. 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2016001. Ottawa. Released August 2, 2017. |access-date=August 21, 2017 |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |date=February 8, 2017 }}</ref> !! 2011<ref name="StatsCan2017" /> !! 2006<ref name="StatsCan2007">{{cite web |title=Statistics Canada. 2007. 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13, 2007. |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=August 23, 2017 |date=March 13, 2007 |archive-date=August 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824212152/http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=dead }}</ref> !! 2001<ref name="StatsCan2007" />
|-
| [[Arctic Bay]] || 944 || 868 || 823 || 690 || 646
|-
| [[Clyde River, Nunavut|Clyde River]] || 1,181 || 1,053 || 934 || 820 || 785
|-
| [[Iqaluit]] || 7,429 || 7,740 || 6,699 || 6,184 || 5,236
|-
| [[Kimmirut]] || 426 || 389 || 455 || 411 || 433
|-
| [[Nanisivik]] || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 77
|-
| [[Pangnirtung]] || 1,504 || 1,481 || 1,425 || 1,325 || 1,276
|-
| [[Pond Inlet]] || 1,555 || 1,617 || 1,549 || 1,315 || 1,220
|}

The hamlets of Kinngait (population: 1,396<ref name=2021censusNU/>) and Qikiqtarjuaq (population: 593<ref name=2021censusNU/>) do not lie on Baffin Island proper. Kinngait is situated on [[Dorset Island]], which is located a few kilometres from the south eastern tip of the [[Foxe Peninsula]]. Similarly, Qikiqtarjuaq is situated on [[Broughton Island (Nunavut)|Broughton Island]], which is located near the northern coast of the [[Cumberland Peninsula]].

The [[Mary River Mine]], an iron ore mine with an estimated 21-year life, at [[Mary River (Nunavut)|Mary River]], may include building a railway and a port to transport the ore.<ref>[http://www.baffinland.com/MaryRiverProject/default.aspx The Mary River Project] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529221547/http://www.baffinland.com/MaryRiverProject/default.aspx |date=2010-05-29 }}</ref> This may create a temporary mining community there.

==Wildlife==
[[File:Baffin Island - Curious as a Fox.jpg|thumb|A Baffin Island [[red fox]]]]
Baffin Island is home to the [[Isulijarniq Migratory Bird Sanctuary]] and the [[Bowman Bay Wildlife Sanctuary]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Service |date=2015-10-13 |title=Not Found |url=https://www.canada.ca/errors/404.html |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www.canada.ca |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902234055/https://www.canada.ca/errors/404.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bowman Bay Wildlife Sanctuary |url=https://travelnunavut.ca/operator/bowman-bay-wildlife-sanctuary |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Travel Nunavut |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Isulijarniq Migratory Bird Sanctuary, named for [[J. Dewey Soper]], is located on the western side of Baffin Island from [[Bowman Bay (Nunavut)|Bowman Bay]] to the [[Koukdjuak River]]. It is an {{cvt|8159|km2}} area that was classified a [[List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance|wetland of international importance]] via the [[Ramsar Convention]] on May 24, 1982. It is home of the world's largest goose colony and supports a large number of [[barren-ground caribou]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Isulijarniq Migratory Bird Sanctuary|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/249 |access-date=April 25, 2018}}</ref>

The Bowman Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is also located on the western side of Baffin Island near Bowman Bay in the [[Great Plain of the Koukdjuak]]. It is {{cvt|1079|km2}} and is classified as [[World Commission on Protected Areas#IUCN Categories of Protected Area|Category IV]] (Habitat/Species Management Area) under the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Great Plain of the Koukdjuak Baffin Island, Nunavut |publisher=IBA Canada |url=https://www.ibacanada.org/site.jsp?siteID=NU078&lang=en&siteID=NU078&lang=en |access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=mpa>{{cite web |title=Bowman Bay |publisher=mpaglobal.org |url=http://www.mpaglobal.org/index.php?action=showMain&site_code=18706 |access-date=September 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726105943/http://www.mpaglobal.org/index.php?action=showMain&site_code=18706 |archive-date=July 26, 2011}}</ref>

Baffin Island has both year-round and summer visitor wildlife. On land, examples of year-round wildlife are [[barren-ground caribou]],<ref name=BGC>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/caribou-barren-ground-population-2016/chapter-3.html |title=Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) barren-ground population COSEWIC assessment and status report 2016: chapter 3|access-date=May 22, 2022|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref> [[polar bear]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arctickingdom.com/why-baffin-island-is-polar-bear-central/|title=Why Baffin Island is Polar Bear Central|access-date=May 22, 2022|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020074340/https://arctickingdom.com/why-baffin-island-is-polar-bear-central/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Arctic fox]], [[red fox]], [[Arctic hare]], [[lemming]], and [[Baffin Island wolf]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wolf-stuff.com/blogs/wolf-facts/baffin-island-wolf |title=Baffin Island Wolf|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref>

Barren-ground caribou herds migrate in a limited range from northern Baffin Island down to the southern part in winter, even to the Frobisher Bay peninsula, next to [[Resolution Island (Nunavut)|Resolution Island]], then migrating back north in the summer.<ref name=BGC/> In 2012, a survey of [[Reindeer|caribou]] herds found that the local population was only about 5,000, a decrease of as much as 95% from the 1990s.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/icebergs-feasts-and-culture-in-pond-inlet-nunavut-1.3275052 Icebergs, feasts and culture in Pond Inlet, Nunavut], [[CBC News]]</ref>

Arctic hares are found throughout Baffin Island. Their fur is pure white in winter and moults to a scruffy dark grey in summer. Arctic hares and lemmings are an important food source for Arctic and red foxes and Arctic wolves.<ref name=":72">{{Cite web|last=Betzler|first=Brooke|title=Lepus arcticus (Arctic hare)|url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lepus_arcticus/|access-date=2021-04-08|website=Animal Diversity Web|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Marquard|first=Peterson|date=1998|title=Food Habits of Arctic Wolves in Greenland|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=79|issue=1|pages=236–244|doi=10.2307/1382859|jstor=1382859|doi-access=free}}<!--|access-date = October 30, 2015--></ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title = Decline and Recovery of a High Arctic Wolf-Prey System|last = Mech|first = David|date = September 1, 2005|journal = Arctic|doi = 10.14430/arctic432|volume = 58|issue = 3|url = https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1385&context=usgsnpwrc|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200726085947/https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1385&context=usgsnpwrc|url-status = dead|archive-date = July 26, 2020|doi-access = free|url-access = subscription}}</ref>

Lemmings are also found throughout the island and are a major food source for foxes, wolves and the [[snowy owl]]. In the winter, lemmings dig complicated tunnel systems through the snow drifts to get to their food supply of dry grasses and [[lichen]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/baffin-island-10750.html|title=Facts About Baffin Island|access-date=2016-10-03}}</ref>

===Predators===
Polar bears can be found all along the coast of Baffin Island but are most prevalent where the [[sea ice]] takes the form of [[Drift ice|pack ice]], where their major food sources—[[ringed seal]]s (jar seal) and [[bearded seal]]s—live. Polar bears mate approximately every year, bearing one to three cubs around March. Female polar bears may travel {{cvt|10|-|20|km}} inland to find a large snow bank where they dig a [[Maternity den|den]] in which to spend the winter and later give birth. The polar bear population here is one of 19 genetically distinct [[deme (biology)|demes]] of the [[Arctic|circumpolar region]].<ref>C. Michael Hogan (2008) [https://web.archive.org/web/20081224205716/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=36084 Polar Bear: ''Ursus maritimus'', globalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg]</ref>

Red foxes can be found predominantly in the southernmost areas of Baffin Island, away from the harshest of winter weather, though some individuals may forage and explore elsewhere. The Arctic foxes can usually be found where polar bears venture on the [[fast ice]] close to land in their search for seals. Arctic foxes are scavengers and often follow polar bears to get their leavings. They also are known to take ground-nesting birds and their eggs and chicks, such as ducks, geese, ptarmigan, seagulls, shorebirds and even snowy owls, on occasion. On Baffin Island, Arctic foxes are sometimes trapped by [[Inuit]], but there is no longer a robust [[Fur trade|fur industry]].<ref>{{cite web |date=September 21, 2020 |title=More uncertainty hits Canada's wild fur industry when it's already down |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/the-future-of-the-fur-trade-and-canada-s-economic-pulse-as-a-new-season-begins-1.5719754/more-uncertainty-hits-canada-s-wild-fur-industry-when-it-s-already-down-1.5719759 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=CBC}}</ref>

The [[Arctic wolf]] and the [[Baffin Island wolf]], a [[Wolf|grey wolf]] subspecies, are also year-round residents of Baffin Island. Unlike the grey wolf in southern climes, Arctic wolves often have smaller social networks, due to the barren landscape and minimal resources, thus resulting in unique hierarchies when compared with wolves found further south. For example, Arctic wolves often do not hunt in packs, although a male-female pair may hunt together.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arctic Wolves: Diet, Habitat, Threats & Other Facts |url=https://www.ifaw.org/animals/arctic-wolf |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=IFAW |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Wfm baffin island.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of Baffin Island]]
[[File:Baffinisland pho 2013102 lrg.jpg|thumb|An ice-covered [[fjord]] on Baffin Island, with Davis Strait in the background]]

===Birds===
Nesting birds are summer land visitors to Baffin Island. Baffin Island is one of the major nesting destinations from the Eastern and Mid-West flyways for many species of [[bird migration|migrating birds]]. [[Anseriformes|Waterfowl]] include [[eider]]s, [[Canada goose]], [[snow goose]], [[cackling goose]], and [[Brant (goose)|brant goose]] (brent goose). Shore birds include the [[phalarope]], various [[wader]]s (commonly called [[sandpiper]]s), [[guillemot|murres]] including [[Thick-billed murre|Brünnich's guillemot]], and [[plover]]s. [[Gull]] species also nest on Baffin Island and they include [[Sabine's gull]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/migratory-bird-sanctuaries/locations/dewey-soper.html |title=Dewey Soper (Isulijarnik) Migratory Bird Sanctuary|date=November 14, 2019}}</ref> [[glaucous gull]], [[American herring gull|herring gull]] and [[ivory gull]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/ivory-gull.html |title=Ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea): COSEWIC assessment and status report|date=February 2, 2012|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=arcticJ>{{cite journal|url=https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/download/65662/49576/186073 |title=Breeding Birds of Arctic Bay, Baffin Island, ' ' N. W.T., with Notes on the Biogeographic Significance of the Avifauna|date=June 1979|doi=10.14430/arctic2610|last1=Renaud|first1=Wayne E.|last2=Johnson|first2=Stephen R.|last3=Hollingdale|first3=P. Diane|journal=[[Arctic (journal)|Arctic]]|volume=32|issue=2|pages=91–175|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Long-range travellers include the [[Arctic tern]], which migrates from [[Antarctica]] every spring. The varieties of [[Anatidae|water birds]] that nest here include [[coot]]s, [[loon]]s, [[mallard]]s, and many other duck species.<ref name=arcticJ/>

===Marine mammals===
In the water (and under the ice), the main year-round species is the [[ringed seal]] subspecies, the [[Arctic ringed seal]]. It lives offshore within {{cvt|8|km}} of land. In winter, it makes a number of breathing holes in the ice, up to {{cvt|2|m}} thick. It visits each one often to keep the hole open and free from ice. In March, when a female is ready to whelp, she will enlarge one of the breathing holes that has snow over it, creating a small "[[igloo]]" where she whelps one or two pups. Within three weeks the pups are in the water and swimming. In summer, some ringed seals keep to a narrow territory about {{cvt|3|km}} along the shoreline but may move out into the open water. In the spring they spend more time on the surface of the ice.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nammco.no/ringed-seal/#1475762140594-0925dd6e-f6cc |title=Ringed seal|access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref>

====Summer visitors====
Water species that visit Baffin Island in the summer are:

[[Harp seal]]s (or saddle-backed seals), which migrate from major breeding grounds off the coast of [[Labrador]] and the southeast coast of Greenland to Baffin Island for the summer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/zone/underwater_sous-marin/hseal/seal-phoque_e.htm |title=The Harp Seal|date=August 17, 2004|publisher=[[Fisheries and Oceans Canada]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060207145022/http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/zone/underwater_sous-marin/hseal/seal-phoque_e.htm |archive-date=February 7, 2006}}</ref> Migrating at speeds of {{cvt|15|-|20|km/h}}, they all come up to breathe at the same time, then dive and swim up to {{cvt|1|–|2|km}} before surfacing again. They migrate in large pods consisting of a hundred or more seals to within {{cvt|1|–|8|km}} of the shoreline, which they then follow, feeding on [[crustacean]]s and fish.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lindstrøm|first1=Ulf|last2=Nilssen|first2=Kjell|s2cid=17370939|date=2013|title=Harp seal foraging behaviour during summer around Svalbard in the northern Barents Sea: diet composition and the selection of prey|journal=Polar Biology|volume=36|issue=3|pages=305–320|doi=10.1007/s00300-012-1260-x}}</ref>

[[Walrus]]es, which do not migrate far off land in the winter. They merely follow the [[fast ice]], or ice that is solidly attached to land, and stay ahead of it as the ice hardens further and further out to sea. As winter progresses, they will always remain where there is open water free of ice. When the ice melts, they move in to land and can be found basking on rocks close to shore. One of the largest walrus herds can be found in the Foxe Basin on the western side of Baffin Island.<ref>{{cite report |author1=Jeff W. Higdon | author2=D. Bruce Stewart |date=2018 |title=State of Circumpolar Walrus Populations |url=https://arcticwwf.org/site/assets/files/1541/walrus-report-2018-screen.pdf |publisher=WWF Arctic |page=18 |access-date=June 19, 2020}}</ref>

[[Beluga whale|Beluga]] or white [[whale]]s migrate along the coast of Baffin Island; some head north to the feeding grounds in the [[Davis Strait]] between Greenland and Baffin Island, or into the Hudson Strait or any of the bays and estuaries in between. Usually travelling in pods of two or more, they can often be found very close to shore ({{cvt|100|m|disp=sqbr}} or less). They come up to breathe every 30 seconds or so as they make their way along the coastline eating crustaceans.

[[Narwhal]]s, which are known for the males' long, spiralling single tusk, can also be found along the coast of Baffin Island in the summer. Much like their beluga cousins, they may be found in pairs or even in a large pod of ten or more males, females and newborns. They also can be often found close to the shoreline, gracefully pointing their tusks skyward as they come up for air.

The largest summer visitor to Baffin Island is the [[bowhead whale]]. Found throughout the [[Arctic]] range, one group of bowhead whales is known to migrate to the Foxe Basin, a bay on the western side of Baffin Island.

==Climate==
[[File:Flying over Baffin Island.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Baffin Island]]
Baffin Island lies in the path of a generally northerly airflow all year round, so, like much of northeastern Canada, it has an extremely cold climate. This brings very long, cold winters and foggy, cloudy summers, which have helped to add to the remoteness of the island. Spring thaw arrives much later than normal for a position straddling the [[Arctic Circle]]: around early June at Iqaluit in the south-east but around early- to mid-July on the north coast where glaciers run right down to sea level. Snow, even heavy snow, can occur at any time of the year, although it is least likely in July and early August. Average annual temperatures at Iqaluit are around {{cvt|-9.5|C}}, compared with around {{cvt|5|C}} in [[Reykjavík]],<ref group="maps">Reykjavík, {{coord|64|08|N|21|56|W|type:city_scale:80000_region:IS-1|name=Reykjavík (Baffin Island)}}</ref> which is at a similar latitude.<ref>GHCN average monthly temperatures, GISS data for 1971–2000, [[Goddard Institute for Space Studies]]</ref>

Sea ice surrounds the island for most of the year and only disappears completely from the north coast for short, unpredictable periods from mid- to late June until the end of September.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/ice-forecasts-observations/publications/sea-climatic-atlas-northern-waters-1981-2010/chapter-2.html|date=October 4, 2013|access-date=May 22, 2022|title=Sea Ice Climatic Atlas for the Northern Canadian Waters 1981-2011: chapter 2|archive-date=May 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523113800/https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/ice-forecasts-observations/publications/sea-climatic-atlas-northern-waters-1981-2010/chapter-2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Most of Baffin Island lies north of the [[Arctic Circle]]—all communities from Pangnirtung northwards have [[polar night]] in winter and [[midnight sun]] in summer. The eastern community of Clyde River has [[twilight]] instead of night from April 26 until May 13, continuous sunlight for 2{{frac|1|2}} months from May 14 to July 28, then twilight instead of night from July 29 until August 16. This gives the community just over 3{{frac|1|2}} months without true night. In the winter, the sun sets on November 22 and does not rise again until January 19 of the next year. [[Pond Inlet]] has civil twilight from December 16 to December 26. However, there is twilight for at least 4 hours per day, unlike places such as [[Eureka, Nunavut|Eureka]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nrc.canada.ca/en/research-development/products-services/software-applications/sun-calculator/ |title=Sunrise/sunset calculator |date=August 7, 2012 |publisher=[[National Research Council Canada]] |access-date=May 22, 2022}} Note: Use "Sunrise/sunset, full year (civil twilight)" in the first box; "By latitude and longitude" in the second box; degrees 79 minutes 59 and north with 85 and 57 west; time zone is Eastern Time</ref>

Like most of Nunavut and the [[Northern Canada|Canadian Arctic]], Baffin Island has a [[Tundra#Climate classification|tundra climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''ET''), although the highest ice caps have an [[ice cap climate]] (''EF''). The sea is frozen for most of the year, and only a few months are above freezing. There can be [[seasonal lag]] in spring.

The [[Barnes Ice Cap]], in the middle of the island, has been retreating since at least the early 1960s, when the Geographical Branch of the then [[Natural Resources Canada|Department of Mines and Technical Surveys]] sent a three-man survey team to the area to measure [[Post-glacial rebound|isostatic rebound]] and cross-valley features of the Isortoq River.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jacobs|first=John D. |display-authors=et al |date=May 3, 2018 |title=Recent Changes at the Northwest Margin of the Barnes Ice Cap, Baffin Island, N.W.T., Canada |journal=Arctic and Alpine Research |volume=25|issue=4 |pages=341–352 |doi=10.1080/00040851.1993.12003020 |issn=0004-0851 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Although in the 1970s parts of Baffin Island failed to have the usual ice-free period in the summer.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cheney |first1=Cora |last2=Partridge |first2=Ben |title=Crown of the World: a view of the Inner Arctic |date=1979 |publisher=Dodd, Mead Comp |location=New York |isbn=978-0396076773}}</ref>

Climate tables from south to north
{{Iqaluit weatherbox}}
{{Clyde River weatherbox}}
{{Pond Inlet weatherbox}}
{{Nanisivik weatherbox}}

==Economic resources==
The [[Hall Peninsula]] of southern Baffin Island includes the [[Chidliak Kimberlite Province]], which had been found to include [[Volcanic pipe#Kimberlite pipes|kimberlite pipes]] of [[diamond]]-bearing [[kimberlite]].<ref name=Pell>Pell, J., Grütter H., Neilson S., Lockhart, G., Dempsey, S. and Grenon, H. 2013. Exploration and discovery of the Chidliak Kimberlite Province, Baffin Island, Nunavut: Canada's newest diamond district. Proceedings of the 10th International Kimberlite Conference, Bangalore; Springer, New Delhi; extended abstract, 4 p.</ref>

The [[Mary River Mine|Mary River iron ore mine]] began operating in 2015, and shipped 4.2 million tonnes of iron ore in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |title=Baffinland ups Mary River iron ore output to 6 million tonnes per year |url=https://www.mining.com/baffinland-ups-mary-river-iron-ore-output-to-6-million-tonnes-per-year/ |access-date=1 October 2024 |work=MINING.COM |date=22 November 2023}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
''[[The White Dawn]]'' is a 1974 film set on and filmed on Baffin Island. All performers except three Hollywood actors were [[Inuit languages|Inuit who spoke their own language]].<ref name =Sanjek>{{cite news | last =Sanjek | first = David| title =The White Dawn (1974) | newspaper =[[PopMatters]] | location = | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =October 5, 2004 | url =https://www.popmatters.com/white-dawn-dvd-2496250472.html | access-date = May 22, 2021}}</ref>

The opening scene of the 1977 [[List of James Bond films|James Bond film]], ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'', featuring a cliff jump and parachute drop on skis, was filmed at [[Mount Asgard]] in [[Auyuittuq National Park]] on Baffin Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.007.com/spy-loved-ski-chase/ |title=Focus Of The Week: The Spy Who Loved Me Chase |access-date=19 February 2025}}</ref>

The Polar Star Couloir, on Mount Beluga in the [[Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti]] (Sam Ford Fjord) area near [[Clyde River, Nunavut|Clyde River]], is listed in ''Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America'' as a backcountry skiing feature.<ref>Chris Davenport; Art Burrows; Penn Newhard, eds. (2010). Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America. Capitol Peak Publishing.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Baffin coastal tundra]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Maps===
<references group="maps" />

===Further reading===
{{refbegin|40em}}
* Boas, Franz, and Ludger Müller-Wille. ''Franz Boas Among the Inuit of Baffin Island, 1883–1884 Journals and Letters''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. {{ISBN|0-8020-4150-7}}
* Kuhnlein HV, R Soueida, and O Receveur. 1996. "Dietary Nutrient Profiles of Canadian Baffin Island Inuit Differ by Food Source, Season, and Age". ''Journal of the American Dietetic Association''. 96, no. 2: 155–62.
*Lee, Alastair. ''Baffin Island: the Ascent of Mount Asgard''. London: Frances Lincoln, 2011. {{ISBN|9780711232211}}
* Matthiasson, John S. ''Living on the Land Change Among the Inuit of Baffin Island''. Peterborough, Canada: Broadview Press, 1992. {{ISBN|0-585-30561-7}}
* Maxwell, Moreau S. ''Archaeology of the Lake Harbour District, Baffin Island''. Mercury series. Ottawa: Archaeological Survey of Canada, National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada, 1973.
* Sabo, George. ''Long Term Adaptations Among Arctic Hunter-Gatherers A Case Study from Southern Baffin Island''. The Evolution of North American Indians. New York: Garland Pub, 1991. {{ISBN|0-8240-6111-X}}
* Sergy, Gary A. ''The Baffin Island Oil Spill Project''. Edmonton, Alta: Environment Canada, 1986.
* Stirling, Ian, Wendy Calvert, and Dennis Andriashek. ''Population Ecology Studies of the Polar Bear in the Area of Southeastern Baffin Island''. [Ottawa]: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1980. {{ISBN|0-662-11097-8}}
* Utting, D. J. Report on ice-flow history, deglacial chronology, and surficial geology, Foxe Peninsula, southwest Baffin Island, Nunavut. [Ottawa]: Geological Survey of Canada, 2007. http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/collection%5F2007/nrcan-rncan/M44-2007-C2E.pdf. {{ISBN|978-0-662-46367-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{GeoGroup}}
* [https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/1079 Logbooks of the ship "Rosie" (1924-1925)] at Dartmouth College Library
* [https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/1082 Logbooks of the schooner "Vera" (1920)] at Dartmouth College Library
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090124013436/http://nunavuttourism.com/destinations.php?IDRegion=3 Nunavut Tourism]

{{Arctic Cordillera}}
{{Islands of the Qikiqtaaluk Region}}
{{World's largest islands}}
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[[Category:Baffin Island| ]]
[[Category:Islands of Baffin Bay]]
[[Category:Islands of Baffin Island]]
[[Category:Inhabited islands of Qikiqtaaluk Region]]