Canada
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1.2km²
Area
4km
Coastline
167m
Highest point
0
People
0°C
Warmest sea
August
1,239km
To the mainland
When to go to Hans Island
Best to visit from December to April.
The sea is warmest in August (0 °C) and coolest in March (-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.
Island off the coast of Ellesmere Island, belonging to Canada and Denmark
Hans Island is an island in Canada. It covers 1.2 km², with 4 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 167 m. Nobody lives on it. The nearest mainland is 1,239 km away.
Getting there
- Qaanaaq Airport (NAQ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 376 km in a straight lineCar hire in IqaluitDiscover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 1,239 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
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 96 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 19 %0–50 m
- 81 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
1 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) | -27 | -28 | -27 | -19 | -9 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -8 | -16 | -22 | -25 |
| Night low (°C) | -31 | -32 | -31 | -23 | -12 | -2 | 2 | -2 | -11 | -19 | -26 | -28 |
| Sea (°C) | -1 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Rain (mm) | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 12 | 14 |
| Wet days | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Sun h/day | — | 1.0 | 6.1 | 12.3 | 15.3 | 16.5 | 12.0 | 7.7 | 5.6 | 2.4 | — | — |
| Wind (km/h) | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 |
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 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −0.4 | −0.8 | −1.1 | −1.1 | −0.7 | −0.4 | −0.3 |
| 2021 | −0.3 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −0.4 | −0.8 | −1.2 | −1.0 | −0.7 | −0.4 | −0.3 |
| 2022 | −0.3 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.3 | −0.9 | −1.2 | −1.1 | −0.7 | −0.4 | −0.3 |
| 2023 | −0.3 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −0.4 | −0.8 | −1.2 | −1.1 | −0.7 | −0.4 | −0.3 |
| 2024 | −0.3 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −0.4 | −0.8 | −1.2 | −1.0 | −0.6 | −0.4 | −0.3 |
| 2025 | −0.3 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.3 | −0.7 | −1.1 | −0.9 | −0.4 | −0.2 | −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 (Q681389) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| 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 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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