If you look at a map of North America and let your eyes drift all the way to the top right, past the familiar shapes of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, you’ll find a massive, jagged landmass that looks like it’s trying to break away from the rest of the continent. That's Baffin Island. Honestly, most people have a hard time placing it. It’s huge. It’s remote. It’s technically part of the Arctic Archipelago, sitting between the rest of Canada and the massive ice sheet of Greenland.
When people ask where is Baffin Island in Canada, they’re usually looking for more than just coordinates. They want to know how it fits into the country. Geographically, it’s the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest in the entire world. It’s roughly double the size of Great Britain. Despite that massive footprint, it’s home to fewer than 15,000 people. Most of them live in Iqaluit, which serves as the capital of Nunavut.
The Geographic Reality of the High Arctic
Baffin Island is the crown jewel of Nunavut. To get your bearings, think of the Hudson Bay. Baffin Island forms the northern and eastern boundaries of the Foxe Basin, which sits just north of that famous bay. It’s separated from the Labrador Peninsula by the Hudson Strait to the south. To the east, you’ve got the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, which act as the watery border between Canada and Greenland.
The island is basically a giant spine of ancient rock. The eastern coast is defined by the Baffin Mountains, a range that features some of the most dramatic vertical drops on the planet. We're talking about massive granite walls that shoot straight out of the ocean. Mount Thor is located here. It has the world's greatest purely vertical drop at 1,250 meters. If you dropped a rock from the top, it wouldn't hit anything for nearly a mile. That's the kind of scale we're dealing with.
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The landscape shifts as you move west. The high, glaciated peaks of the east give way to rolling hills, tundra, and eventually, the lowlands of the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak. It’s a place of extremes. In the winter, the sea ice freezes solid, connecting the island to the mainland and other nearby islands like Bylot or Somerset. In the summer, the sun literally never sets for weeks at a time. It’s a disorienting, beautiful, and harsh environment that doesn't care if you're there or not.
A Land of Five Regions
It helps to think of the island in chunks because it’s too big to process all at once.
- The South (Qikiqtaaluk): This is where Iqaluit sits at the head of Frobisher Bay. It’s the gateway. If you’re flying into the island, you’re almost certainly landing here first.
- The Cumberland Peninsula: Home to Pangnirtung and the world-famous Auyuittuq National Park. This is "the land that never melts."
- The North: This is where you find communities like Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) and Arctic Bay. This area is famous for the "floe edge," where the land-fast ice meets the open water of the ocean.
- The West Coast: Facing the Foxe Basin, this area is shallower and more marshy, a stark contrast to the fjords of the east.
- The Central Highlands: A vast, interior wilderness dominated by the Barnes Ice Cap, a remnant of the last ice age that just refuses to disappear.
Why the Location Matters for Travel
You can’t just drive to Baffin Island. There are no bridges. No tunnels. No ferries from the mainland. You fly or you take a very long boat ride. This isolation is exactly why it remains one of the most pristine wilderness areas left on Earth. Most travelers arrive via Ottawa or Montreal, hopping on a Canadian North flight that takes about three hours to reach Iqaluit.
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Because of where Baffin Island is located in Canada, the climate is Arctic. Don't let the "summer" tag fool you. Even in July, you might see snow. The location dictates everything about life here. The food (country food like seal, char, and caribou), the transportation (snowmobiles and boats), and the culture (Inuit heritage that stretches back thousands of years) are all products of this specific latitude.
The proximity to Greenland also means that the Baffin Bay region is a highway for marine life. We’re talking about narwhals, bowhead whales, and belugas. Because the island sits so far north, it’s also one of the premier spots on the planet to see the Aurora Borealis, though you’ll need to visit between September and April to get the darkness required for the show.
Common Misconceptions About the Island's Location
A lot of people think Baffin Island is just a flat, white wasteland. That couldn't be further from the truth. The Baffin Mountains are part of the Arctic Cordillera, and they are jagged, dark, and incredibly imposing. Another mistake is thinking it’s "near" places like Toronto or Vancouver. If you’re in Toronto, you’re actually closer to Miami than you are to the northern tip of Baffin Island. The scale of Canada is hard to wrap your head around until you look at the flight paths.
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There's also a weird assumption that it's uninhabited. While the population density is incredibly low, the Inuit have lived here for millennia. Places like Cape Dorset (Kinngait) are world-renowned for their art, specifically soapstone carving and printmaking. The location isn't just a point on a map; it's a home with a deep, complex history.
How to Actually Get There
If you're serious about visiting, you need to plan for the "Arctic tax." Everything costs more because it has to be flown in or brought by sealift once a year.
- Pick your hub: Most people start in Ottawa (YOW).
- Book your flight: Canadian North is the primary carrier.
- Choose your season: Go in May/June for the floe edge and 24-hour light. Go in August for hiking and clear fjords. Go in March for dog sledding and the Northern Lights.
- Gear up: You need expedition-grade layers. This isn't the place for a light windbreaker.
Actionable Next Steps for the Aspiring Explorer
If finding out where Baffin Island is in Canada has sparked a need to actually see it, start with a focused research phase. Look into Auyuittuq National Park specifically; it is the most accessible way to experience the island's interior via the Akshayuk Pass. Contact an outfitter in Pangnirtung or Iqaluit at least six months in advance, as guides and accommodations fill up fast despite the remote location. Check the official Travel Nunavut website for updated lists of licensed tour operators to ensure your trip supports the local economy and adheres to safety standards in the polar bear capital of the world.