Melville Island: An Uninhabited Arctic Giant Divided by a Meridian

Countries & Cities · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Spanning over 42,000 square kilometers, Melville Island is a desolate, uninhabited expanse in the Canadian Arctic. While it lacks human residents, it serves as a critical habitat for rare wildlife and holds significant natural gas reserves, all while being uniquely split between two different Canadian territories along the 110th meridian.

Melville Island is the 33rd largest island globally and the eighth largest in Canada. Its rugged terrain, which includes some of the western Canadian Arctic's tallest mountains, reaches elevations of 750 meters. The island’s geography is deeply defined by its political division: the western half falls under the jurisdiction of the Northwest Territories, while the eastern half is managed by Nunavut. This boundary is marked by the 110th meridian west, though the eastern side contains two peculiar subnational pene-exclaves that are physically accessible only by traveling through Nunavut territory.

The island's harsh, largely barren environment supports a surprisingly diverse array of Arctic fauna, including polar bears, muskoxen, and Peary caribou. It is also a vital breeding ground for a potentially distinct stock of brant geese, numbering between 4,000 and 8,000 birds. In 2003, researchers from the University of Alberta documented grizzly bear tracks, marking the most northerly sighting of the species ever recorded. Vegetation is sparse, consisting mainly of mosses, lichens, and the dwarf willow, which grows as a dense, ground-hugging mat.

European exploration began in 1819 when Sir William Parry spent the winter at what is now Winter Harbour. The island was named for Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville, who served as First Sea Lord. During the 19th-century search for the lost Franklin expedition, the island became a hub for rescue efforts, leading to the abandonment of several ships near Dealey Island. By the 20th century, the island's focus shifted toward resource potential. Exploratory drilling began in 1961, and by the 1970s, the Sabine Peninsula was identified as the site of the major Drake Point gas field, highlighting the island's transition from a site of maritime tragedy to a point of industrial interest.

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