Baffin Island Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nunavut

Baffin Island is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, located north of the Canadian mainland. In the Inuit language of Inuktitut Baffin Island is known as Qikiqtaaluk.

Answer: It is the largest island that contains land both above and below the Arctic Circle.

With an area of 507,451 square kilometers, Baffin Island is the largest island of Canada and the fifth largest island on Earth. Only Greenland, New Guinea, Borneo and Madagascar are larger. Greenland passes through the Arctic Circle which makes Baffin Island the second largest island to have land both above and below the Arctic Circle.

Answer: William Baffin

William Baffin was born in London in 1584 and died in the Anglo-Persian attack on Kishm (an island in the Strait of Hormuz) on January 23, 1622. Like many other navigators of the early 1600s, Baffin attempted to find a Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean. Instead William Baffin 'discovered' Baffin Island and Baffin Bay in northern Canada.

Answer: Helluland

In Icelandic sagas Helluland was described as a 'Land of Flat Stones.' Helluland was not settled because Ericson believed it to be inhospitable.

Answer: Auyuittuq National Park

The word Auyuittuq means 'the land that never melts' in the Inuit language. Only twelve species of mammals live in Auyuittuq National Park. Kouchibouguac National Park is located in New Brunswick while Quttinirpaaq National Park is located on Ellesmere Island. Located in the province of Alberta, Banff National Park was established in 1885 and is Canada's oldest national park.

Answer: Mount Odin

Mount Odin rises to a height of 7,044 feet (2,147 meters) and is the highest peak of the Baffin Mountains which comprise Baffin Island and Bylot Island. While Mount Odin is the tallest, Mount Asgard (6,611 feet) is likely Baffin Island's most well-known mountain. The opening sequence of the James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me' is filmed on Mount Asgard.

Answer: Cape Dorset

Cape Dorset is located on Dorset Island, an island located south of Baffin Island. Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, is the largest community on Baffin Island. Other communities on Baffin island include Clyde River, Kimmirut and Nanisivik.

Answer: BASE Jumping

BASE Jumping is an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth. The sport was popularized in 1978 when it was first filmed off of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Baffin Island has many peaks between 3,000 and 4,000 feet making it an ideal spot for BASE Jumping.

Answer: Barnes Icecap

The Barnes Icecap has been monitored since the 1960s when a survey team started analyzing the area. The Ayles Ice Shelf broke off the coast of Ellesmere Island in 2005. The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, located on Ellesmere Island, is the largest ice shelf in the Arctic. The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica.

Answer: Bowhead

The Bowhead whale is a baleen whale that can grow up to 66 feet (20 meters) in length. The Bowhead whale spends its whole life in Arctic waters unlike the Blue, Sperm and Humpback whales.