Boothia Peninsula

Boothia Peninsula, northernmost portion of mainland North America, reaching latitude 71°58′ N, in Kitikmeot region, Nunavut territory, Canada. It was discovered in 1829 by the British explorer James (later Sir James) Ross, who named it Boothia Felix in honour of Sir Felix Booth (the expedition’s financier); in 1831 Ross established the first location of the north magnetic pole on the peninsula’s western coast (the pole has since migrated farther northward). Other explorers, notably Sir John Franklin and Roald Amundsen, visited Boothia Peninsula in later years. The peninsula is a tundra-covered plateau with an area of some 12,480 square miles (32,330 square km) and a width of 120 miles (195 km). It extends some 170 miles (275 km) into the Arctic Ocean to a point just south of Somerset Island. The peninsula is sparsely populated; Taloyoak (Talurruaq; pop. [2006] 809; [2011] 899) is the largest settlement.