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:
“No nation was ever ruined by trade.”
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
“I suggested to them also the great desirability of a general knowledge on the Island of the English language. They are under an English speaking government and are a part of the territory of an English speaking nation.... While I appreciated the desirability of maintaining their grasp on the Spanish language, the beauty of that language and the richness of its literature, that as a practical matter for them it was quite necessary to have a good comprehension of English.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)