Baffin Island

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Lore & Background

The Inuktitut name for the island is Qikiqtaaluk, meaning 'very big island' (qikiqtaq 'island' + -aluk 'very big'), written in Inuktitut syllabics as ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ. Norse explorers are believed to have referred to it as Helluland ('stone land'). In 1576, English seaman Martin Frobisher made landfall, naming it 'Queen Elizabeth's Foreland.' The island's present name refers to English explorer William Baffin, who charted Baffin Bay in 1616, and was bestowed by Edward Parry in 1821. The Baffin Mountains run along the northeastern coast, part of the Arctic Cordillera. The highest peak is Mount Odin, with an elevation of at least 2,143 metres. Mount Thor, at 1,675 metres, is said to have the greatest purely vertical drop of any mountain on Earth, at 1,250 metres. The two largest lakes are Nettilling Lake (5,542 km²) and Amadjuak Lake (3,115 km²) in the south-central part.

Reader's Guide

Baffin Island has been inhabited for over 3,000 years, first by the pre-Dorset, followed by the Dorset, and then by the Thule people, ancestors of the Inuit, who have lived on the island for the last thousand years. The Thule genetically and culturally completely replaced the Dorset people some time after 1300 CE. In about 986, Erik the Red formed settlements near Greenland. Bjarni Herjólfsson, sailing from Iceland to Greenland around 985 or 986, was blown off course and is thought to be the first European to see Baffin Island. About 15 years later, Norse Greenlanders led by Leif Erikson explored new areas around the year 1000; Baffin Island is thought to be Helluland, and the archaeological site at Tanfield Valley is thought to have been a trading post. A long-running debate disputes whether Vikings taught indigenous peoples to spin yarn. In 2018, Michele Hayeur Smith of Brown University wrote that spinning hair and wool into plied yarn likely developed naturally within the context of complex, indigenous Arctic fiber technologies, not through European contact. The only confirmed Norse site in North America outside Greenland remains L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.

Did You Know?

• Mount Thor has the greatest purely vertical drop of any mountain on Earth, at 1,250 metres (4,100 ft).
• The Inuktitut name Qikiqtaaluk means 'very big island' and is written as ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ in syllabics.
• Bjarni Herjólfsson appears to be the first European to see Baffin Island, around 985 or 986 CE.
• The only confirmed Norse site in North America outside Greenland is L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.
• The population of Baffin Island at the 2021 Canadian census was 13,039, with 72.17% identifying as Inuit.

Scale & Physical Geography

Baffin Island is the largest island in Canada, the second-largest island in the Americas (behind Greenland), and the fifth-largest island in the world. As of July 31, 2026, its area is 507,204.95 square kilometres (195,832.93 square miles) with a population density of 0.026/km² (0.067/sq mi). It is located at 68°N 70°W. To the south lies Hudson Strait, separating Baffin Island from mainland Quebec. South of the western end is Fury and Hecla Strait, separating the island from the Melville Peninsula. To the east are Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, with Greenland to the east. Prince Regent Inlet and the Gulf of Boothia separate the island from Somerset Island and the Boothia Peninsula. Foxe Basin, with Prince Charles Island, is in the southwest. In the north, Lancaster Sound separates it from Devon Island and the Queen Elizabeth Islands. The Baffin Mountains run along the northeastern coast, part of the Arctic Cordillera. The highest peak is Mount Odin, with an elevation of at least 2,143 metres (7,031 feet), though some sources say 2,147 m (7,044 ft). Mount Asgard in Auyuittuq National Park has an elevation of 2,011 m (6,598 ft). Mount Thor, at 1,675 m (5,495 ft), is said to have the greatest purely vertical drop of any mountain on Earth, at 1,250 m (4,100 ft). The two largest lakes are Nettilling Lake (5,542 km²; 2,140 sq mi) and Amadjuak Lake (3,115 km²; 1,203 sq mi) in the south-central part.

Naming & Cultural Identity

The Inuktitut name for the island is Qikiqtaaluk, which means 'very big island' (qikiqtaq 'island' + -aluk 'very big'), written in Inuktitut syllabics as ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ. This name is used for the administrative region Qikiqtaaluk Region, as well as for smaller islands in Baffin Bay and Foxe Basin. Norse explorers are believed to have referred to it as Helluland ('stone land'). In 1576, English seaman Martin Frobisher made landfall, naming it 'Queen Elizabeth's Foreland.' The island's present name refers to English explorer William Baffin, who charted Baffin Bay in 1616, and was bestowed by Edward Parry in 1821. Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, is located on the southeastern coast. Until 1987, the town was called Frobisher Bay; that year, the community voted to restore the Inuktitut name.

Three Millennia of Indigenous Inhabitation

Baffin Island has been inhabited for at least 3,000 years and possibly much longer; evidence of the earliest known circumpolar peoples is evident on the islands. It was first inhabited by the pre-Dorset, followed by the Dorset, and then by the Thule people, ancestors of the Inuit, who have lived on the island for the last thousand years. The Thule people genetically and culturally completely replaced the Dorset people some time after 1300 CE. The population of Baffin Island at the 2021 Canadian census was 13,039. As of the 2016 Canadian census, the majority (74.06%) were Indigenous peoples and 25.83% were non-Indigenous. Of the total population, 72.17% are Inuit, 0.92% are First Nations, and 0.73% are Métis. Except for a few First Nations people in Arctic Bay, all non-Inuit Indigenous peoples live in Iqaluit.

European Encounters & the Viking-Archaic Mystery

In about 986, Erik Thorvaldsson (Erik the Red) formed three settlements near the southwestern tip of Greenland. 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. About 15 years later, Norse Greenlanders led by Leif Erikson started exploring new areas around the year 1000. Baffin Island is thought to be Helluland, and the archaeological site at Tanfield Valley is thought to have been a trading post. In September 2008, Patricia Sutherland reported finding archaeological remains of yarn, cordage, rat droppings, tally sticks, a carved Dorset culture face mask depicting Caucasian features, and possible architectural remains, indicating European contact by 1000 CE. Dating of some yarn and other artifacts produced an age that predates the Vikings by several hundred years. In 2012, whetstones were found with remnants of alloys indicative of Viking presence. However, in 2018, Michele Hayeur Smith wrote that spinning hair and wool into plied yarn likely developed naturally within the context of complex, indigenous Arctic fiber technologies, not through European contact. William W. Fitzhugh wrote that there is insufficient published evidence to support Sutherland's claims, and that the Dorset were using spun cordage by the 6th century. The only confirmed Norse site in North America outside Greenland remains L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.