Baffin Babes

 
Baffin Island, 69˚00`N 72˚00`W, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world, with an area of 507,000 km². It has a population of 11,000 people, most of them living in Iqaluit, which is the capital of the territory Nunavut.

Spectacular environment
Much of the treeless island, and the waters around it, are protected national parks. A mountain ridge goes across the island and the highest peak is Mount Odin, raising 2147 m above sea level. The vast, unspoiled tundra, the mountainous interior, the big glaciers and the hundreds of bays and fjords of the rugged northern coast make Baffin Island to a unique place in the world.

People
Most of the people on Baffin Island are Inuit and some are still living out of fishing and hunting. Inuit in Nunavut are recognized internationally for their stone sculptures, fine art prints and fabric arts. Nowadays tourism is a growing industry in the Inuit economy.

Climate
Baffin Island has a typically arctic climate, with short summers  and very cold winters where the temperatue can drop down to -50˚C.  The average monthly temperatures are below 0˚ C for nine months of the year. The sea ice stays around the island throughout the summer and the harbors can just be used a few months every year.
The arctic is very sensitive to climate change. In the latest decades the climate has fluctuated dramatic and scientific reports are telling that big ice-capes in the north of Baffin Island have shrunk by more than 50 % sine the 1950´s.  

Wildlife
Animals that stays year around on Baffin Island are polar bear, barren-ground caribou, arctic fox, arctic hare, lemming and arctic wolf.
Summer land visitors come to the island to nest. Baffin Island is one of the major nesting destinations from the Eastern and Mid-West flyways for many species of migrating birds.
Many marine mammals flourish in Arctic waters. The animals have provided the resources that allowed centuries of native culture to develop. Such as food, shelter, clothing, fuel and even the raw materials for tools, weapons and crafts.                                                                                                              
The three most bountiful species of seal are the ringed seal, harp seal and bearded seal. Whales are prolific. The true Arctic whales are the beluga, narwhals and bowheads, though other whales are also seen in the area.

Line of life
In the spring month of June, polar bears, caribou, arctic hares and foxes, seals, walrus, narwhals, beluga whales and countless species of birds gather on floe-edge, known locally as 'the line of life'. Floe-edge is the name given to the place where frozen ocean meets open ocean.