The study of the geography of any continent begins with the determination of the extreme points of land. And North America is no exception. There are always four of them - northern, southern, western and eastern. The extreme northern point of this continent is Cape Murchison. Consider its geographical location, nature and why it is so interesting to study.
A bit of history
The cape itself territorially belongs to Arctic Canada and juts out into the depths of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago for 250 km. Being the northern part of the Butia peninsula. Previously, this peninsula was called Butia Felix, in honor of the sponsor of the expedition, a brewer from London. The name was later shortened.
The peninsula itself was discovered by John Ross in 1829. And Cape Murchison was discovered by the French explorer Josev René Murchison. He led one of 39 expeditions that went in search of the surviving crew of John Franklin, who went missing in the Arctic in 1845. The explorer's name was given to the open piece of land.
Description
If you ask someone who alreadyI saw Cape Murchison, to describe it briefly and succinctly, it will turn out something like this - frosty, pristine and crystal cold water.
The peninsula itself is an array of mountain plateaus rising about 500 meters above sea level, and the coastal zone is plains. The only settlement on this stretch of land is Talloyoak, with a population of only 809 (2006 data).
You can get to the cape by plane, Talloyoak airport is located one kilometer from the village. At the end of summer, within 2-3 weeks, you can also get there by water. But there are no road routes through the peninsula to the cape.
Location
Being part of Canada's Kitikmeot region, Cape Murchison, at 73° N. sh. and 95°W is not only the most extreme northern point of the mainland, but also one of the most extreme points of the land of the entire Earth. Cape Murchison is the northern part of the Boothia Peninsula, located south of Somerset Island. The Bello Strait, which is only 2,000 meters wide, separates the two plots of land. The cape protrudes into the depths of 250 km of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and is its component.
Since the beginning of the 17th century, the north magnetic earth pole has been located under the ice of Arctic Canada. In 1831 he was on the Butia peninsula, about 64 km from the cape. Since then, the magnetic pole has constantly changed location and has shifted significantly towards the Taimyr Peninsula.
Nature
Since the earth is located far in the north, then the nature on itcharacteristic of the Arctic lands, mainly arctic desert, replaced by tundra vegetation. The land bound by permafrost cannot give rise to anything but lichens, mosses, annual grasses and shrubs (about 340 species in total). Although the vegetation is rather sparse, it is still able to feed lemmings and polar hares, which, in turn, are used as food by arctic foxes and other small predators.
You can also meet here the owner of the polar ice - the polar bear. But he's just a guest here, not a permanent resident. Cape and caribou drop by, followed by wolves.
Whales, seals and bearded seals can be seen in coastal waters, if you are lucky, following schools of herring, codfish, capelin and other northern fish species.
The world of birds on the Cape is more diverse: partridge and owl, eider, various species of waterfowl, gulls and cairos.
Swamps and icy lakes cover the entire territory of the Boothia Peninsula, and Cape Murchison in the photo looks like a gloomy and barren territory. But this impression is erroneous, its special charm lies in the fact that, standing on the shore, you realize that you are on the edge of the earth. Further - only permafrost, ice and islands, always covered with snow. And then - the North Pole, which is still 2013 kilometers away.
