Northernmost point of land


The northernmost point of land on Earth is a contentious issue due to variation of definition. How permanent some of the contenders are makes hard determination difficult, but sets an important threshold. Problematic issues include ice sheets, water movements and inundation, storm activity that may build, shift, or destroy banks of moraine material, and observational difficulties due to remoteness. However, a bathymetric survey in 2022 confirmed that certain previous contenders, such as 83-42, Qeqertaq Avannarleq, and ATOW1996, are not permanent islands/landmasses as they are not connected to the seabed: they are gravel banks floating on an ice sheet.
The following table sets out the main contenders for this title.
Island nameCoordinatesDistance from
the North Pole
Discovered byDiscovery yearPermanent?Notes
83-4283°42′05.2″N, 30°38′49.4″W700.5 kmDennis Schmitt2003No; not connected to seabed35 m by 15 m and 4 m high; deconfirmed by the 2022 survey as a true land
83°41′N, 31°6′W702.4 km2008 Ultima Thule expedition2008UnknownNeeds verification
RTOW200183°41′06″N, 30°45′36″W702.5 kmRTOW expedition2001No; not connected to seabedDeconfirmed by the 2022 bathymetric survey
ATOW199683°40′34.8″N, 30°38′38.6″W703.2 kmATOW expedition1996No; not connected to seabed10 m long and 1 m high; deconfirmed by the 2022 survey as a true island
Stray Dog West83°40′37″N, 31°12′W703.3 kmDennis Schmitt2007Yes; submerged during high tideConsidered as a land/ridge, but not an island
Qeqertaq Avannarleq83°40′17″N, 30°42′43″W703.4 kmMorten Rasch2021No; not connected to seabed30 m by 60 m and 3–4 m high; deconfirmed by the 2022 survey as a true land
Oodaaq83°40′N, 30°40′W704.2 kmUffe Petersen1978No; is a gravel bank15 m by 8 m, appears to be submerged periodically
Kaffeklubben83°39′45″N, 29°50′W704.7 kmRobert Peary1900Yes700 m by 300 m by 30 m high; official, undisputed northernmost permanent land on Earth
Cape Morris Jesup83°37′39″N, 32°39′52″W708.6 kmRobert Peary1900YesNorthernmost tip of Greenland

Currently, Kaffeklubben Island is the northernmost undisputed land that permanently remains above water. However, due to the ever-shrinking Arctic ice, there could be more discoveries in the near future.
In addition, the Gakkel Ridge has been showing some volcanic activity in recent decades, so a new landmass could form even further north from a future eruption.
In 2022, a Swiss-Danish expedition visited the area to confirm the existence of previously discovered islands and islets north of "Inuit Qeqertaat" at latitude 83°39 054″ N, 30°37 045″ W. Measurements by Martin Nissen from the Danish and Greenlandic national mapping agency and René Forsberg with DTU Space, Technical University of Denmark confirmed that all offshore islets north of Inuit Qeqertaat have been debris-covered icebergs.