Nelson Head is a

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada (), colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada, variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories a ...

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

. The most southerly point of Banks Island, it protrudes into the

Amundsen Gulf Amundsen Gulf is a gulf located mainly in the Inuvik Region, Northwest Territories, Canada with a small section in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut. It lies between Banks Island and Victoria Island (Canada), Victoria Island and the mainland. It i ...

. It is the ancestral home of Kangiryuarmiut, a Copper Inuit subgroup.

Naming

The cape was named ''Nelson's Head'' by Captain Robert McClure on September 7, 1850 during his western search for Franklin's lost expedition in honor of

Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

, whose profile may have been suggested by the 'strikingly grand and imposing' features of the cape. Nelson had not been previously honored by Arctic explorers.

Appearance

Described by Alexander Armstrong, ship's surgeon aboard HMS ''Investigator'', the cape reaches over 1000 feet almost vertically from the water's edge:

'It is of limestone formation, the lower third of dark brown stratification, above which is assumed a lighter colour of reddish yellow, such as a ferruginous coating might impart. This was surmounted by a dark grey columnar formation, much resembling irregularly formed basaltic columns, with joints or fissures similar to what is usually observed in that formation; the whole capped by a covering of soil.

References

Peninsulas of the Northwest Territories {{NorthwestTerritories-geo-stub