Igloolik Island
Remnants of older Inuit sod houses in Igloolik Point | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Foxe Basin |
| Coordinates | 69°23′N 81°40′W / 69.383°N 81.667°W |
| Archipelago | Arctic Archipelago |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Nunavut | Nunavut |
| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Largest settlement | Igloolik |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,538 |
| Ethnic groups | Inuit |
Igloolik Island is a small island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the Foxe Basin, very close to the Melville Peninsula (and to a lesser degree, Baffin Island), and it is often thought to be a part of the peninsula. It forms part of the Arctic Archipelago.
The word Igloolik (Inuktitut: "there is an igloo here") comes from iglu (meaning: "house"/"building") and refers to the sod houses (qarmaq) that were originally in the area. Inuit and their ancestors have inhabited the island since 2000 BC. The archaeological sites on the island, which show a sequence up to 1000 AD, were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1978.
There is only one community on the island, also named Igloolik.