Dorset Island
Dorset Island's Kinngait Hill and the hamlet of Cape Dorset, 1997
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 Dorset Island
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hudson Strait |
| Coordinates | 64°12′N 76°32′W / 64.20°N 76.53°WCoordinates: 64°12′N 76°32′W / 64.20°N 76.53°W |
| Archipelago | Canadian Arctic Archipelago |
| Area | 143.48 km2 (55.40 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 208 m (682 ft) |
| Highest point | Kingnait Hill |
| Administration | |
| Territory |
 Nunavut
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| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,363 (2011 census) |
| Ethnic groups | Inuit |
Dorset Island or Cape Dorset Island is one of the Canadian Arctic islands located in Hudson Strait, Nunavut, Canada. It lies off the Foxe Peninsula area of southwestern Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region. It is serviced by an airport and a harbour.
The island was named after the statesman Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset.
The island is 4 mi (6.4 km) long and 2 mi (3.2 km) wide, with its highest elevation 220 m (720 ft) above sea level.
On the southern end of Dorset Island, at an elevation of 243 m (797 ft) above sea level, the mountain, Cape Dorset, projects into the Hudson Strait. It is part of the Kingnait Range (Kingnait, in Inuktitut, means "high mountains"). The cape represents the southern tip of the Foxe Peninsula. On September 24, 1631, Captain Luke Foxe named the landform "Cape Dorset" to honor his benefactor, Lord Chamberlain, Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset.
Kingnait Hill, at 208 m (682 ft) high, is located on the island's north-west side. The shorter Eegatuak Hill is located 0.7 mi (1.1 km) north of the cape, on its eastern side, rising 99 m (325 ft) above sea level, and exhibiting a distinctive bowl-shape surmounted by a cairn.
Mallik Island, directly to the north, is joined to Dorset Island by sand and boulders. A natural harbour exists in the peninsula formed by the southeast side of Mallik Island and the northwest side of Dorset Island with prevailing northwesterly winds at 10 to 15 knots, stronger in September and October. The anchorage may have heavy swell conditions and there is frequent fog during the navigation season of early August through mid-October. Ice break-up is around mid-July, and freeze-up occurs in early November. Winter ice thickness can be up to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in).
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