Bathurst Island

Bathurst Island, one of the Parry Islands in the Baffin region, Nunavut territory, northern Canada, between the islands of Cornwallis (east) and Melville (west) and north of Parry Channel. Bathurst Island is 160 miles (260 km) long and 50–100 miles (80–160 km) wide and has an area of 6,194 square miles (16,042 square km). The highest point is about 1,500 feet (457 metres). Its northern coastline is deeply indented by Erskine and May inlets. The entire coastline is fringed with islets, and several islands stretch in a northwesterly direction from its western tip. Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area (1990), which extends through the centre of the island, has been the site of a wildlife research station since 1968. Discovered in 1819 by the British explorer Sir William Parry, the island was named for Henry Bathurst, the 3rd Earl Bathurst, then secretary for war and the colonies. The island has no permanent population.