Murchison Promontory (), a cape (

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the so ...

) in the northern Canadian Arctic, is the northernmost mainland point of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

and of Canada.Querying Geographical Names of Canada
at Natural Resources CanadaMurchison Promontory
at the Atlas of Canada Located from the North Pole, it is farther north than Point Barrow, Alaska, the

northernmost point Northernmost may refer to: * List of northernmost items * List of northernmost settlements *List of countries by northernmost point *Northernmost point of land See also *Lists of extreme points This is a list of lists of places considered the mos ...

of all U.S. territory.

Geography

Murchison Promontory extends along the northern edge of the Boothia Peninsula, at right angles to the Bellot Strait, which separates it from Somerset Island. Situated in the

Kitikmeot Region Kitikmeot Region (; Inuktitut: ''Qitirmiut'' ) is an administrative region of Nunavut, Canada. It consists of the southern and eastern parts of Victoria Island with the adjacent part of the mainland as far as the Boothia Peninsula, together ...

(

Inuktitut Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...

: ''Qitirmiut'') of

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

, its northernmost point,

Zenith Point Murchison Promontory (), a cape (promontory) in the northern Canadian Arctic, is the northernmost mainland point of the Americas and of Canada.

, is located at . at Oceandots The nearest community is Taloyoak, approximately to the south.

History

The area was first explored in April 1852 by the Canadian Captain William Kennedy and the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

explorer Joseph René Bellot while searching for traces of John Franklin's lost

Arctic expedition This list of Arctic expeditions is a timeline of historic Arctic exploration and explorers of the Arctic. 15th century * 1472: Didrik Pining and Hans Pothorst mark the first of the cartographic expeditions to Greenland * 1496: , venturing out ...

.Francis Leopold McClintock
at the Dictionary of Canadian BiographyThe Columbia Gazetteer of North America 2000
The strait was then named after Bellot, who drowned the following year. Irish-born Francis Leopold McClintock also wintered in the area with his ship ''Fox'' in the winter of 1858-1859 in his search for the Franklin expedition.Bellot Strait
at The Canadian Encyclopedia In July 1859, McClintock named the promontory, which his expedition determined to be the northernmost point of the mainland, after

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

president

Roderick Murchison Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, 1st Baronet, (19 February 1792 – 22 October 1871) was a Scotland, Scottish geologist who served as director-general of the British Geological Survey from 1855 until his death in 1871. He is noted for investigat ...

. Murchison was a prominent supporter of Jane Franklin in her efforts towards a continued search for her husband, which included the sponsorship of McClintock's expedition. In 1937 Scot E. J. "Scotty" Gall passed the promontory on his ship ''Aklavik'' on the first crossing of the Bellot Strait,University of Calgary, Scotty Gall
/ref> travelling from the western shore to the eastern for the Hudson's Bay Company.

References

External links

About Murchison Promontory

Map of Murchison Promontory

Image of Murchison Promontory
{{Peninsulas of Nunavut Peninsulas of Kitikmeot Region Extreme points of Earth