Southampton Island

Southampton Island, island in Keewatin region, Nunavut territory, Canada. It lies at the entrance to Hudson Bay and is separated from the mainland by Roes Welcome Sound. Roughly triangular, it is about 210 miles (340 km) long and 220 miles (355 km) wide and has an area of 15,913 square miles (41,214 square km). The terrain consists of a plateau about 2,000 feet (600 metres) high in the northeast (with 1,000-foot [300-metre] coastal cliffs), gradually sloping to lowlands in the south. In the interior, swift streams cut through deep gorges. Coral Harbour (Salliq), at the head of South Bay, is the only trading post, but a Royal Canadian Mounted Police base, an airfield, and a meteorological station are at nearby Munn Bay. The coastal waters are noted for Arctic char fishing. The bird sanctuaries of Harry Gibbons and East Bay are near the western and eastern ends of the island, respectively. Discovered in 1613 by Thomas Button, the island was named for Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton.