King William Island - Definition and Overview

King William Island, Nunavut

King William Island is a Canadian Arctic island. It lies in the Nunavut Territory, south west of the Boothia peninsula and south east of Victoria Island, and has an area of 5,062 square miles (13,111 km²), making it the 60th largest island in the world. Population: 960 (2001)

The island, long occupied by Inuit people, was named for the reigning British King William IV in 1830 by John Ross, and is also known as where John Franklin's expedition were stranded.

King William Island is known for the caribou who summer there and is home to the small settlement of Gjoa Haven (Uqsuquqtuuq).