Arctic Islands (Canada)
The
Arctic islands of
Canada make up most of the territory of
Nunavut and part of the
Northwest Territories.
Ellesmere Island,
Victoria Island, and
Baffin Island are three of the
largest islands in the world. The Arctic islands make up the former Northwest Territories
District of Franklin. Other islands in the
archipelago are
Banks Island, Prince of Wales Island, Devon Island, Prince Patrick Island, Melville Island, Sverdrup Island, Axel Heiberg Island, Southampton Island and King William Island. The group of islands is bounded on the west by the Beaufort Sea, on the North by the Arctic Sea, on the East by
Greenland, Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, and on the South by
Hudson Bay and the mainland of Canada. British claims on the islands were based on the explorations in the 1570's by
Martin Frobisher. Canadian sovereignty over them was not established until the
District of Franklin was established in
1895. Canada claims sovereignty in a sector continuing to the North Pole, a claim that is not universally recognized. In addition, Canada claims the water between the Arctic Islands as internal waters, a claim that is not recognized by the
United States, and which has cause some conflict with respect to the enforcement of environmental laws.