:''There is also
Bathurst Island off the coast of
Australia''.

Bathurst Island, Nunavut

Satellite photo montage of Bathurst Island and its neighbours
'Bathurst Island' is one of the
Queen Elizabeth Islands in
Nunavut Territory,
Canada. The area of the island is estimated at
16,042 km², making it the
54th largest island in the world and
Canada's 13th largest island. It is uninhabited.
Bathurst Island was the site of
Thule native tribes around 1000 AD, conceivably during a warmer
climate episode. Bathurst Island became known to
Western explorers through its discovery by Sir
William Parry in
1819 and was named for
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, British
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1812-
1827.
The island is low-lying with few parts higher than 330 m in elevation. Good soil conditions produce abundant vegetation and support a more prolific wildlife population than other arctic islands.
The island contains the
Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area, and the area of the proposed
Tuktusiuqvialuk National Park.
The Earth's North
Magnetic Pole tracked northwards across Bathurst Island during the 1960s and 1970s.