Quttinirpaaq National Park

Quttinirpaaq National Park

The Quttinirpaaq National Park is situated on the northeastern corner of Ellesmere Island, in the Qikiqtaaluk region of the Canadian province of Nunavut. After Northeast Greenland National Park, it is the second northernmost park on Earth. It covers 37 775 km2, which makes it the second largest park in Canada after Wood Buffalo National Park. Quttinirpaaq means "top of the world" in Inuktitut. This park is notable for its vast glaciers and ice caps, desert-like conditions and its unique life forms well adapted to the extreme polar environment. There are only about 50 people a year who visit the park. The park is home to Barbeau Peak, Nunavut's highest mountain at 2616 meters. The poor vegetation and low temperatures support only very small populations, so only a few wild animals, namely Arctic Hares, Lemmings, Musk Oxen and Arctic Wolves live in this national park, but there is also a very small population of Peary Caribou. Other wildlife includes Ringed Seals, Bearded Seals, walruses, Polar Bears and Narwhals. During the summer months, the park is a nesting ground for birds, including Semipalmated Plovers, Red Knots, Gyrfalcons and Long-Tailed Jaegers. The high latitude and limited wildlife on this part of Ellesmere Island means that there has never been a considerable human presence. However, the pass from Tanquary Fiord to Lake Hazen showed traces of use by people in the Arctic, some 5,000 years ago. Tipi rings and food caches indicate that the area was visited by ancestors of the modern Inuit, pre-Dorset, Dorset and Thule peoples.