Baffin Island (183,810 sq mi/476,068 sq km), c.1,000 mi/1,610 km long and from 130 mi/210 km–450 mi/720 km wide, in the Arctic Ocean, E N.W.T., Canada; 68°30'N 70°00'W. It is the 5th-largest isl. in the world and the easternmost member of the Arctic Archipelago. Baffin Isl. is geographically and geologically a continuation of Lab., from which it is separated by Hudson Strait. The W side of the isl. is covered largely by tundra. There are many freshwater lakes, including Nettilling (1,956 sq mi/5,066 sq km) and Amadjuak. In the E, snow-covered mt. ranges rise more than 8,000 ft/2,440 m. Baffin Isl. has a deeply indented coastline with many fjords. Most of the isl.’s inhabitants are Eskimos who live mainly at coastal trading posts. Whaling, fur trading, and fishing are the chief occupations. The posts have stores, post offices, police stations, schools, and occasionally hosps. Martin Frobisher visited the isl. bet. 1576 and 1578, and Frobisher Bay, in the SE, is the principal town. The isl. is named for William Baffin, who explored the Arctic in 1616.
