Montreal Island (Nunavut) Explained

Montreal Island
Pushpin Map:Canada Nunavut#Canada
Native Name Link:Inuktitut
Location:Northern Canada
Coordinates:67.8167°N -101°W
Archipelago:Arctic Archipelago
Country:Canada
Country Admin Divisions Title:Territory
Country Admin Divisions:Nunavut
Population:Uninhabited
Ethnic Groups:Inuit

Montreal Island is located in Chantrey Inlet, Nunavut, Canada. The island has an area of 25km2 and a perimeter of 31km (19miles).

Sir George Back visited the island in 1834 after descending Back River which now bears his name. He left a cache of supplies on the island, which was found in 1839 on a later Arctic expedition by the Scottish explorer Thomas Simpson. Around 1850 some survivors of Franklin's lost expedition probably reached the island. In 1855 James Anderson and James Stewart of the Hudson's Bay Company descended Back River, crossed to the island and found Franklin relics.

The island is not to be confused with the Island of Montreal in southwest Quebec, on which the city of Montreal is located. Coincidentally, the Quebec island is also situated on a river known as the Back River, the colloquial English name for the Rivière des Prairies.

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