Quttinirpaaq National Park
| Quttinirpaaq National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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 Location of Quttinirpaaq National Park in Canada
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| Location | Nunavut, Canada |
| Nearest town | Resolute |
| Coordinates | 82°13′N 072°13′W / 82.217°N 72.217°WCoordinates: 82°13′N 072°13′W / 82.217°N 72.217°W |
| Area | 37,775 km2 (14,585 sq mi) |
| Established | 1988 |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
Quttinirpaaq National Park is a Canadian national park. Located on the northeastern corner of Ellesmere Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, the most northerly extent of Canada, it is the second most northerly park on Earth after Northeast Greenland National Park. In Inuktitut, Quttinirpaaq means "top of the world". It was established as Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve in 1988, and the name was changed to Quttinirpaaq in 1999, when Nunavut was created, and became a national park in 2000. The reserve covers 37,775 square kilometres (14,585 sq mi), making it the second largest park in Canada, after Wood Buffalo National Park.
The land is dominated by rock and ice. It is a polar desert with very little annual precipitation.
Much of the highlands of the park are covered in ice caps. These ice caps, and the glaciers that descend from them, date back at least to the last episode of glaciation.
The park includes Barbeau Peak, which at 2,616 m (8,583 ft) is the highest mountain in Nunavut.
Some wildlife, notably Arctic hares, lemmings, muskoxen and Arctic wolves reside in this national park, but sparse vegetation and low temperatures support only small populations. There is a very small Peary caribou population as well. Other animal inhabitants include ringed seals, bearded seals, walruses, polar bears, and narwhals. During summer months, birds nest in the park including semipalmated plovers, red knots, gyrfalcons and long-tailed jaegers. Common plants include dwarf willow and Arctic cotton, in addition to grasses and lichens. Plant and animal life is more concentrated in the Lake Hazen region, which has a milder climate than the surrounding ice cap-covered mountains and valleys.
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