Baffin Island Baffin Island Baffin Island ( , ), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000 (2007 estimate). It is located 65.4215 N and 70.9654 W. Named after English explorer William Baffin, it is likely that the island was known to Pre-Columbian Norse explorers from Greenland and Iceland and that it was the location of "Helluland", spoken of in the Icelandic sagas (the Grœnlendinga saga and the Saga of Erik the Red, Eiríks saga rauða). Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, is
Baffin Island at a similar latitude. Sea ice surrounds the island for most of the year, and only disappears completely from the north coast for short unpredictable periods from mid- to late June until the end of September. Most of Baffin Island lies above the Arctic Circle and all the communities from Pangnirtung northwards have polar night in winter and the midnight sun in summer. The eastern community of Clyde River has twilight instead of night from April 26 until May 13, continuous sunlight for 2½ months from May 14 to July 28, then twilight instead of night from July 29 until