Igloolik Island

Igloolik Island is an island in the Foxe Basin off the Melville Peninsula in Nunavut, Canada and is the site of the Inuit hamlet of Igloolik. It is part of the Canadian Arctic archipelago and is a local cultural centre for the surrounding region.

The island contains the village of Igloolik, with community buildings, shoreline landing areas and local services rather than developed tourist infrastructure. The surrounding marine and sea-ice environment is used for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing at different seasons.

The island and surrounding area have been inhabited by Inuit peoples for many generations. European contact and Canadian administration altered settlement patterns in the 19th and 20th centuries, but the community remains an active centre of Inuit culture and language.

Sited in Foxe Basin off northern mainland Canada, the island lies in the waters between Baffin Island and the Melville Peninsula and is administered from Nunavut.

• Administrative region: Located within Nunavut’s Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin) Region and administered as part of the territory of Nunavut.
• Settlement: Island hosts the established Inuit community of Igloolik, which is the primary population centre on the island.

What to See#

• Igloolik (hamlet): The main settlement on the island and the administrative and cultural centre for the local Inuit community, containing services, shops and community facilities used by residents and visitors.