eastern coasts are steep and rocky rising to elevations of 3,000 to 

 5,000 feet in the interior tablelands. Ice caps occupy many of the 

 elevated eastern sections and numerous glaciers fill the valleys. 

 The western portion of the islands are made up of Paleozoic sedi- 

 ments. These form low plains extending several miles inland to 

 the high cliffs of the crystalline rocks which make up the eastern 

 ranges. The tundra-covered plains provide feeding grounds for 

 large numbers of musk-oxen, caribou and arctic hare. 



Axel Heiberg Island lies west of Ellesmere Island. Unlike the 

 other Sverdrup Islands and the Parry Islands, it has high land in 

 the interior with a low coastal area. The other islands have low, 

 rolling terrain characterized by elevated beaches and terraces along 

 the shores. Most are unglaciated. 



The islands of the far northern groups which are underlain by 

 sedimentary rock have no lakes and no established drainage pat- 

 terns. The very small amount of precipitation in this area is a 

 factor in this lack of developed systems of drainage. Victoria 

 Island is the third largest in the archipelago. The islands are 

 separated by only a narrow channel, and are very similar in 

 character. Much of the shoreline and the interior of Victoria 

 Island are unsurveyed. It can be assumed that it resembles Banks 

 Island since it is of a like geologic structure. Banks Island is a 

 rolling plateau with elevations up to 2,900 feet in the southern 

 part. The coast is broken by many small bays. 



TABLE III 

 Areas of Principal Canadian Arctic Islands 



Island: Area sgitare miles (approx.) 



Baffin 230.000 



Ellesmere .— 41,000 



Prince of Wales 15,000 



King William 6.200 



Melville 20.000 



Victoria 60.000 



Somerset 12,000 



Banks 25,000 



Devon 24.000 



Bylot 4.970 



Cornwallis 2.590 



Bathurst 7.300 



Prince Patrick 6.700 



Borden 4.100 



Isachsen 1.000 



Ellef Ringnes 3.250 



Amund Ringnes 1.800 



Meighen 360 



AxelHeilberg 13.200 



Southampton 17.800 



46 



