Simpson Strait
Encyclopedia
The Simpson Strait is a natural, shallow waterway separating King William Island
to the north from Adelaide Peninsula
on Nunavut
's mainland to the south. The strait, an arm of the Arctic Ocean
, connects the Queen Maud Gulf
with Rasmussen Basin's Rae Strait
.
Simpson Strait measures 40 mi (64.4 km) long and 2 mile wide, and there are several small islands within it: Albert, Beaver, Boulder, Castor, Chens, Club, Comb, Denille, Dolphin, Eta, Hook, Kilwinning, Pollux, Ristvedt, Saatuq, Sarvaq, and Taupe.
reached Simpson Strait in 1834, but did not name it.
In 1836, the Hudson's Bay Company
wanted 'to endeavor to complete the discovery and survey of the northern shores of the American continent' and so it sent Thomas Simpson and Peter Warren Dease
on an expedition. Simpson and Dease reached the Simpson Strait in 1839, and named it in honor of Simpson.
Roald Amundsen
traversed it in 1903 during his first successful Northwest Passage voyage.
King William Island
King William Island is an island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and forms part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In area it is between and making it the 61st largest island in the world and Canada's 15th largest island...
to the north from Adelaide Peninsula
Adelaide Peninsula
Adelaide Peninsula , ancestral home to the Illuilirmiut Inuit, is a large peninsula in Nunavut, Canada. It is located at south of King William Island....
on Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
's mainland to the south. The strait, an arm of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
, connects the Queen Maud Gulf
Queen Maud Gulf
Queen Maud Gulf lies between the northern coast of the mainland and the southeastern corner of Victoria Island in Nunavut, Canada. At its western end lies Cambridge Bay, leading to Dease Strait; to the east lies Simpson Strait; and to the north, Victoria Strait.It was named by the Norwegian...
with Rasmussen Basin's Rae Strait
Rae Strait
Rae Strait, named after Arctic explorer John Rae, is a small strait in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located between King William Island and the Boothia Peninsula on the mainland to the east.-Source:* at the Atlas of Canada...
.
Simpson Strait measures 40 mi (64.4 km) long and 2 mile wide, and there are several small islands within it: Albert, Beaver, Boulder, Castor, Chens, Club, Comb, Denille, Dolphin, Eta, Hook, Kilwinning, Pollux, Ristvedt, Saatuq, Sarvaq, and Taupe.
History
George BackGeorge Back
Admiral Sir George Back FRS was a British naval officer, explorer of the Canadian Arctic , naturalist and artist.-Career:...
reached Simpson Strait in 1834, but did not name it.
In 1836, the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
wanted 'to endeavor to complete the discovery and survey of the northern shores of the American continent' and so it sent Thomas Simpson and Peter Warren Dease
Peter Warren Dease
Peter Warren Dease was a Canadian fur trader and arctic explorer.-Early life:Peter Warren Dease was born at Michilimackinac on January 1, 1788, the fourth son of Dr. John Dease, captain and deputy agent of Indian Affairs, and Jane French, Catholic Mohawk from Caughnawaga...
on an expedition. Simpson and Dease reached the Simpson Strait in 1839, and named it in honor of Simpson.
Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
traversed it in 1903 during his first successful Northwest Passage voyage.