Axel Heiberg Island

Axel Heiberg Island, third largest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, in the Baffin Region, northern Nunavut Territory, Canada, in the Arctic Ocean. Much of the island consists of a plateau, with fjords marking the coastline. The Princess Margaret mountains rise along the northern coast and reach an elevation of more than 2,100 m (7,000 ft). Ice fields and glaciers spread across much of the mountains. Wildlife on the island includes arctic hares and musk oxen. The island was named after the Norwegian consul Axel Heiberg, who sponsored the first expedition there in 1899. Area, 43,178 sq km (16,671 sq mi).