Ellef Ringnes Island
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Ellef Ringnes Island is one of the Sverdrup Islands in Nunavut, Canada. It lies east of Borden Island and west of Amund Ringnes Island and has an area of 4,361 square miles (11 295 km²), making it the 69th largest island in the world and Canada's 16th largest island. The weather monitoring station of Isachsen lies on the west coast of the island. The island's position is 78°36′46"N, 101°56′13"W. Its highest elevation is 260 m.
The island was named by Otto Sverdrup for Oslo brewer Ellef Ringnes, one of the sponsors of his expedition. The island was then claimed by Norway from 1902 until the claim was relinquished (in favour of Canada) in 1930.
Ellef Ringnes Island was the last landmass to be visited by the Earth's wandering North Magnetic Pole. In April and May of 1994, Larry Newitt, of the Geological Survey of Canada, and Charles Barton, of the Australian Geological Survey Organisation, conducted a survey to determine the average position of the North Magnetic Pole at that time. They established a temporary magnetic observatory on Lougheed Island, close to the predicted position of the pole. They determined that the average position of the North Magnetic Pole in 1994 was located on the Noice Peninsula, southwest Ellef Ringnes Island, at 78.3° N, 104.0° W. The pole passed away from the island that year and now lies some 250 miles (400 km) to the NNW [link].
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