The largest of the "Victoria" islands is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, which contains 94 major and 36, 469 minor islands, most of which are unpopulated. These islands begin near the Hudson Bay and stretch all the way to Baffin Island, which is situated near Greenland. Since the creation of Nunavut, Canada's newest province, the land mass of Victoria Island now stretches across two divisions of Canada. The island also sits just north of the Northwest Passage, a historically important Arctic water route between the Atlantic and Pacific. While Canada considers the famous waterway to be internal waters, other nations consider the vast network of straits and bays to be international.
Victoria is the second largest island in Canada and the eighth largest in the world. With a surface area of 83,897 square miles, this northern entity is slightly larger than Great Britain and almost twice the size of Newfoundland, Canada's island province in the east. Baffin Island, which can be found northeast of Victoria, is the largest island in Canada.
Victoria Island sits south of the Arctic Ocean and north of the Arctic circle within Canada's "Great Frozen North." In geographic terms, the location of the island would be approximately 71°N 110°W. The island is in the mountain time zone and is connected to the mainland by boat and one Canadian airline, which flies in five times a week.
This northern outpost in the Canadian Arctic has only two small centers of commerce. First there is Cambridge Bay, which can be found across the Dease Strait from the central portion of Nunavut. With approximately 1,500 year-round residents, this coastal town is definitely the larger of the two. The other settlement is called Ulukhaktok and exists in the western portion of the island under the jurisdiction of the Northwest Territories. Only about 500 people live in this tiny settlement. The vast majority of the population is Inuit.
On a large-scale map, the island of Victoria has a strange resemblance to the Canadian maple leaf. The island's indented shape is also indicative of a great number of small waterways that surround the place. On the north there is the Viscount Melville Sound, while to the east lies M'Clintock's Channel and Victoria Strait. To the west are the Amundsen Gulf and Prince of Wales Strait, while on the southern edge of the island the long list of waterways includes the Dolphin and Union Strait, the Dease Strait, Austin Bay and Coronation Gulf.
