Banks Island
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Image:Map indicating Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada.png Image:BanksIslandCloseup.png Image:Wfm banks island.jpg Banks Island (Template:Coor dm) is one of the Canadian Arctic islands situated in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is separated from Victoria Island to its east by the Prince of Wales Strait and from the mainland by Amundsen Gulf to its south. The Beaufort Sea lies to its west. To the northeast, McClure Strait separates the island from Prince Patrick Island and Melville Island.
The only permanent settlement on the island, Sachs Harbour, lies on the southwest coast. Two federal migratory bird sanctuaries were founded on the island in 1961. The island is treeless, with the tallest plant, the arctic willow, growing usually to about the height of a person's shin.
Banks Island covers an area 70 028 km² and it is the world's 24th largest island and Canada's fifth largest island. It is approximately 380 km long, and at its widest point at the northern end, 290 km across. The highest point of the island is in the south, rising to about 610 m. It is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and had a population of 114 in 2001, all in Sachs Harbour. Banks Island is home to snow geese, who make their way across the Amundsen Gulf from the mainland. There is an annual goose hunt in the spring out of Sachs Harbour. The island is part of the Tundra world biome, which has extremely cold winters. The island is home to caribou, polar bears, musk-oxen, and birds such as robins and swallows.
The Aulavik National Park of Canada, a fly-in park, protects approximately 12 274 km² of Arctic lowlands at the northern end of the island. The park has the highest concentration of musk-oxen on earth, and is home to the endangered Peary Caribou. The Thompsen River runs through the park, and is one of the northernmost navigable rivers (by canoe) in North America. Ptarmigan and ravens are considered the only year-round birds in the park, although 43 different species make seasonal use of the area.
See also
fr:Île Banks gl:Illa de Banks hr:Otok Banks ja:バンクス島 pl:Wyspa Banksa