CanadaCanadian Arctic ArchipelagoIsland
Ellesmere Island
196,235 km² rising to 2,616 m out of the Hall Basin.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2017 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
196,235km²
Area
9,685km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
2,616m
Highest point
Barbeau Peak
146
People
0°C
Warmest sea
August
462km
To the mainland
When to go to Ellesmere Island
Best to visit from December to April.
The sea is warmest in August (0 °C) and coolest in January (-2 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut
Ellesmere Island is an island in Canada. It belongs to Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It covers 196,235 km², with 9,685 km of coastline. Its highest point, Barbeau Peak, rises to 2,616 m. About 146 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 462 km away.
Getting there
- 462 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From December to Aprilbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Ellesmere Island.
This island is too large to count beaches and viewpoints in a meaningful way.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Ellesmere Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Ellesmere Island, each with its own numbers.
4beaches and covesCoastya
30lakesLakeyas
Largest lake
547km²
Lake Hazen
289 m deep · according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
1.0°C
Andersrag Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
4 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Andersrag Beach1.0°C
- Floeberg Beach-1.0°C
- Seal Covecove0.2°C
- Trappers Covecove-0.3°C
30 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Lake Hazen289 m deep547km²
- Lake Tuborg41.5km²
- Ekblaw Lake17.8km²
- Craig Lake14.3km²
- Heintzelman Lake10.1km²
- Kilbourne Lake5.4km²
- Murray Lake5.0km²
- Turnabout Lake3.8km²
22 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
500 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | -29 | -30 | -28 | -20 | -10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | -10 | -18 | -24 | -26 |
| Night low (°C) | -34 | -34 | -33 | -26 | -14 | -3 | 1 | -3 | -13 | -21 | -28 | -31 |
| Sea (°C) | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -2 |
| Rain (mm) | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 31 | 32 | 39 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 7 |
| Wet days | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Sun h/day | — | 2.3 | 5.1 | 12.5 | 16.3 | 15.5 | 12.7 | 8.1 | 5.6 | 2.8 | — | — |
| Wind (km/h) | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.3 | −0.4 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −0.6 | −0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.5 | −0.7 | −0.3 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| 2023 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.5 | −0.5 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| 2024 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.5 | −0.5 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2025 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | −0.6 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.1 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q146841) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Lakeyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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