Queen Elizabeth Islands

Group of islands shared between the Canadian territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, north of Lancaster and Viscount Melville Sounds. They include Ellesmere, the northernmost island in the Canadian Arctic, Devon, Axel, Heiberg, the Parry Islands, and the Ringnes Islands. Prince Patrick and Eglington Islands are in the Northwest Territory as are the western parts of Melville, Mackenzie King, and Borden Islands. The islands contain a number of radar and weather stations. Exploration for gas and oil has increased in recent years and Royal Canadian Mounted Police posts have been established in the area.

The islands were named after Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. There are virtually no indigenous inhabitants; Inuit occupation is relatively recent and Grise Fiord, on Ellesmere, and Resolute, on Cornwallis, are the main settlements.