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 words franklin and/or island:
“There never was a good war or a bad peace.”
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
“An island always pleases my imagination, even the smallest, as a small continent and integral portion of the globe. I have a fancy for building my hut on one. Even a bare, grassy isle, which I can see entirely over at a glance, has some undefined and mysterious charm for me.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)