You’re no doubt familiar with the name, King William Island. This remote and uninhabited territory situated at the northernmost tip of Canada’s territorial waters is known for its impressive subarctic archipelago. The island consists of over 200 very small islands with nothing to develop, few entomological specimens in the summer, and most of them covered by ice during the winter. In this article, we will share more facts about this place that you might want to know more about.
Contents
History
King William Island is named after the British King William III who ruled in the early 18th century. The first Europeans to visit the island were a group of French voyagers led by Jacques Cartier in 1535. Sir John Franklin and his crew also visited this place during their ill-fated 1910-1912 expedition. However, it was only with an effort made by Arctic explorer Robert Peary that King William Island achieved its current fame in the annals of world mapping.
In 1881, Robert Peary got his first chance to visit the remote and often inaccessible island through a portage between King William Island and the Boothia Peninsula in Nunavut; this was achieved by using two dogsleds across the Arctic ice floes. He finally reached its the North Pole on February 23rd, 1909 at 7:40 pm from where he took a photograph of it with Anik’s camera- parachute. The North Pole photograph is the only internationally recognized polar picture that has ever been taken from the modern era.
From 1909, a large number of expeditions visited King William Island for scientific purposes including those by Sir Hubert Wilkins and John MacGregor Low over two decades later. In 1931-1932, five teams consisting of ethnologists working under Drs Spencer Fildes and Alexander Maksimovitch conducted studies through dog-sled accompanied by local Inuit guides. During these expeditions, Dr. Fildes obtained 200 objects of ethnographic importance that included jewelry and arrowheads with today’s valuation varying between 1 to 8 million pounds (Britannia stamp issue).
Climate
King William Island experiences a subarctic climate, with cold winters and cool summers. Precipitation is low throughout the year and varies between 50 cm in summer to 300 cm during winter. Between July, the freeze-up varies all year. The average temperature at this time is minus 15 Celsius Fahrenheit (−25 °C).
During wintertime, temperatures range between 10 and −40 degrees Celsius (including daylight of course) for much of the summer months without fail. For example, August 24 at 5 am had a high temperature around 0° celsius, with dryness and humidity that made you feel like breathing water.
Then fall comes, warming up rapidly. Even during clear days in the summer with bright sunbeams melting most of it is found by searching for shelter from the mild northerly winds between October and April when temperatures are about 15 to −4 degrees Celsius (736 °F).
Culture
The culture of the Inuit is one of the most ancient cultures in North America. The first known inhabitants of this area were Paleo-Eskimos who migrated from Siberia about 2,500 years ago. Today, Inuit make up about 45% of Canada’s Nunavut population and nearly 20% of Alaska’s population.
Their traditional way of life revolves around hunting, fishing, and trapping in addition to a nomadic lifestyle that enables them to move from year to year depending on the season and availability of resources. Although their old ways have been somewhat disturbed by recent changes, they continue to practice them today in large part because it allows them access to a wide array of natural environments that are important sources for their food and material goods.
Politics
The Inuit have a unique form of government in which they elect their leaders through a process called “iqaluk”, meaning “to choose”. It is one of the oldest systems of representative democracy in the world. The leader or qaujik represents all members of the community and works to ensure that their interests are represented. This system has been successful in keeping Inuit communities intact despite rapid changes due to globalization, technology, and other factors.
Government Services
The Government of Canada provides a variety of services to the Inuit, including health care, education, social services, and economic development. These programs help to ensure that the Inuit can live happy and healthy lives in their traditional way of life.
Education
In Nunavut, all children between the ages of 3 and 17 attend school through either a public school or home-based education system. Over 80% of Inuit attend post-secondary schools on scholarships provided by the Government Of Canada. High School graduates tend to go into teaching while universities offer many career opportunities such as computer science, physics research, human resource management, and medicine (one doctor for every eight people).
Tourism
A number of companies are beginning to develop tourist products and services specifically for the Inuit market. This is an important growth area as tourism revenue is expected to grow by over 20% each year through 2020.
The Inuit have a rich culture that is based on their traditional way of life and the natural environment in which they live. They value knowledge, oral tradition, community cooperation, spiritual beliefs, and hunting skills. Their art includes carvings, prints, and paintings.
Some examples of Inuit art are carvings, used for spiritual ceremonies; prints depicting the stories and legends of their ancestors; masks to frighten animals during hunting expeditions; jewelry that serves as a means of keeping track of important dates or naming children after relatives who have died.
Transport
Inuit rely on snowmobiles, dogsleds, and traditional boats for transportation. The Nunavut government has developed a network of roads to help Inuit travel to the towns and villages in their region.
Infrastructure projects are helping to improve air quality in Nunavut communities, expand broadband Internet access and provide clean water supplies. Some Inuit live in Eastern Canada, especially Newfoundland and Labrador. They continue to work in the commercial fishery industry of both Atlantic provinces (1500 employed), and small support industries such as boat sharing or renting snowmobiles between communities across the north coast.
Cuisine
Traditional Inuit cuisine is based on the animal products that their environment offers. They hunt caribou, moose, bears, and other Manitoba animals for meat; fish from rivers and lakes; seal pups for blubber and teeth; geese for eggs; wool from sheep and goats. Traditional dishes include caribou steak (braised with juniper berries), sealskin soup, Iglulik Eskimo Pie (a pastry made of caribou skull, etc.), seal oil which was used as an herbal remedy for muscle pain.
Conclusion
There are only a few remote places on earth that can send the human heart to a complete stop. Places of legend and myth, where extraordinary events have taken place and the human intelligence stopped struggling to figure out what is happening on the other side of the curtain. The Kunlun Mountains, the galaxy NGC 2174, and the southern ocean’s King William Island are three such places.
FAQs
Is It A Misinterpretation That Taiping Island Is A Rock?
Under infrared light, Taiping Island looks like a rock because the top layer of soil and rocks is exposed. However, an aerial photo reveals that there is another island buried beneath the surface of the water.
Which Country Is The Unluckiest?
This is a difficult question to answer since it depends on many factors, such as the severity and scale of a country’s problems, how these are reported by journalists and researchers, etc. However, some experts might argue that the countries with the poorest human development indices (as measured by indicators such as life expectancy or per capita income) tend to be unlucky.
Does Anyone Live On King William Island?
No, King William Island is uninhabited. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 because it is one of the most significant examples of an Ice-Age landscape and contains some of the oldest rocks on Earth.
Can You Visit King William Island?
Yes, absolutely! The island is open to visitors 365 days a year. Visitors can kayak or sail to the island, walk through the spectacular landscape, and view some of the animal colonies that live on the island.
How Cold Is King William Island?
The temperature on King William Island ranges from -2°C to 17°C (28°F to 63°F)
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