Hakluyt Island

Hakluyt Island is an island in Baffin Bay in northwest Greenland. The uninhabited island is located off the west coast of Northumberland Island, and is part of the Avannaata municipality. It is a designated Important Bird Area and a regional Key Biodiversity Area.

Geography

Hakluyt Island lies in the Baffin Bay off the northwestern coast of Greenland to the west of Northumberland Island, and is part of the Avannaata municipality. Spread over an area of, the island has a varying topography with an average elevation of. It is part of a small group of coastal islands formed by Kiatak, Herbert Island and Hakluyt Island, and these islands lie off the Inglefield Fjord, between the Murchison Sound to the north and the Hvalsund to the south. The island is steeper towards the northeast while gently decreasing in altitude while moving towards the southwest. The island has various cliffs along the arctic coast, with the highest part of the island at, located in the northeast corner. Due to the prevalent climatic patterns, there is no thick ice formation in the island. The island has no permanent population.

The island is classified as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International, and a regional Key Biodiversity Area. It is classified as a marine/coastal habitat and is hosts seabird nesting sites. Major bird species found include thick-billed murre, black-legged kittiwake, little auk, razorbill, black guillemot, and common puffin. The island is home to nearly eighty percent of the breeding population of little auks in the world.