Franklin Island (Danish: Franklin Ø) is one of three islands located in Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait in the high Arctic and is part of Greenland. Its two sister islands are Crozier Island and Hans Island. The former is also part of Greenland, whilst the latter's ownership is disputed between Denmark and Canada.
It is the largest of these three islands. It is located c. 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Cape Constitution (Danish: Kap Constitution). It is predominantly light brown in color, very steep-sided, flat topped, and rises to a height of 215 m (705 ft) on the Southeast side.
It is named after the British explorer John Franklin (1786–1847), by Elisha Kent Kane between 1854 and 1855 during his second Grinnell Expedition, after it was sighted by Hans Hendrik and the American William Morton in June 1854.
Coordinates: 80°48′N 66°35′W / 80.8°N 66.583°W / 80.8; -66.583
Famous quotes containing the word island:
“We crossed a deep and wide bay which makes eastward north of Kineo, leaving an island on our left, and keeping to the eastern side of the lake. This way or that led to some Tomhegan or Socatarian stream, up which the Indian had hunted, and whither I longed to go. The last name, however, had a bogus sound, too much like sectarian for me, as if a missionary had tampered with it; but I knew that the Indians were very liberal. I think I should have inclined to the Tomhegan first.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)