Prince of Wales Strait
| Prince of Wales Strait | |
|---|---|
| Connects waters | Amundsen Gulf |
| with water | Viscount Melville Sound |
| Separates land mass | Victoria Island |
| of land mass | Banks Island |
| Data | |
| Geographical location | 72 ° 40 ′ N , 118 ° 30 ′ W |
 |
|
| length | 300 km |
| Smallest width | 12 km |
The Prince of Wales Strait ( German "Prince-of-Wales-Strait" ) is a strait in the Arctic Ocean within the Canadian Northwest Territories . In the Canadian Arctic archipelago , it separates Banks Island in the west from Victoria Island in the east and connects the Viscount-Melville Sound in the north with the Amundsen Gulf in the south. At its narrowest point, the Prince of Wales Strait is only twelve kilometers wide.
The Prince of Wales Strait was the last undiscovered section of the Northwest Passage and was first navigated by Robert McClure in October 1850 . It is now an alternative route for shipping in the event that McClure Strait north of Banks Island should be icy.
Web links
- Prince of Wales Strait in The Canadian Encyclopedia (English)
