Melville Island is located near the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It is technically a part of Canada, and it is a member of the Arctic archipelago. It is the eighth largest island in Canada, and it has a total area of approximately 16000 square miles. There are some very large mountains on Melville Island, and some of them are the largest in the Canadian Arctic. There are a few mountains that are close to 2,500 feet high.
No, the island is uninhabited. There is nobody who lives on the island full-time. It is divided between the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, with the Northwest Territories responsible for the western portion of the island and Nunavut responsible for the eastern portion of the island. Much of the island is only accessible by boat from the Northwest Territories or by land from Nunavut. It makes the island very hard to get to, and there is nobody who lives on the island throughout the entire year.
Yes, there are a lot of animals that live on Melville Island, and some of them are very difficult to find in other areas of the world. Some of the animals that live on the island include the arctic wolf, the arctic hare, the arctic fox, caribou, polar bears, and the northern collared lemming. A grizzly bear was sighted on the island in 2003, and tracks were explored to see where they led. This remains the farthest north that grizzly bears have ever been spotted.
In addition, It is believed that there are several thousand birds that live on the island. There are scientists actively researching the birds that live on the island, and some people believe that they could be a rare form of goose. The Island itself is a major breeding ground for brant geese.
The very first Europeans to visit the area were British explorers. In 1819, Sir William Parry arrived on the island, and he was forced to spend the winter there. The sea froze up on him, so he was unable to get off the island until the ice thawed. The area was visited regularly by various European settlers and explorers throughout the 19th century.
Yes. Throughout the year, the island has been explored because of its deposits of natural gas. It is believed that the island has significant deposits of coal and oil shale, so it has been explored extensively throughout the 20th century. The very first exploratory well was dug by Canada in 1961. It drilled several thousand meters below the surface, and a major gas field was identified. It is called Drake Point, and it produced a tremendous amount of energy for the region. There has been some controversy surrounding gas drilling on Melville Island as more attention has been paid to the health of the environment.