Melville Island is one of a group of Canadian islands in the Arctic Ocean, north of Canada’s mainland. It lies between Prince Patrick and Bathurst islands, and is one of the Parry Islands. The island covers about 16,300 square miles (42,220 square kilometers). It stretches nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) from east to west, and about 130 miles (209 kilometers) at its widest north to south point. Frozen seas surround it most of the year. The island is uninhabited.
In 1819, Sir William Parry, a British naval officer and explorer, became the first European to reach Melville Island. He was searching for a northwest passage to Asia. The western portion of the island is governed by the Northwest Territories, while the eastern portion is governed by Nunavut.
See also Parry, Sir William Edward .
