# Polar Bear Pass

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Mountain pass in Nunavut, Canada

Polar Bear Pass Nanuit Itillinga/Kitturajaaq (Inuktitut) Polar Bear Pass Location within Nunavut Third Approach Location Bathurst Island, Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada Coordinates 75°43′N 98°40′W / 75.717°N 98.667°W / 75.717; -98.667 (Polar Bear Pass) Topo map NTS 68H11 Caledonian River Ramsar Wetland Designated 24 May 1982 Reference no. 245[1]

**Polar Bear Pass** ([Inuktitut](/source/Inuktitut): *Nanuit Itillinga/Kitturajaaq*),[2] is a 262,400-hectare (648,000-acre) [wetland](/source/Wetland) and [mountain pass](/source/Mountain_pass) on [Bathurst Island](/source/Bathurst_Island_(Canada)) within the [Qikiqtaaluk Region](/source/Qikiqtaaluk_Region), [Nunavut](/source/Nunavut), Canada. The pass is on federal [Crown land](/source/Crown_land).[3]

## Fauna and flora

The wetland exists within a [tundra](/source/Tundra) [desert](/source/Desert) in the high [Arctic](/source/Arctic). It is a staging area for migratory birds, as well as a breeding area for numerous bird species. The large insect population is an ample food source for these birds.

Various water features are located throughout the site, including lakes, tundra ponds and meadows. Vegetation consists primarily of "[grasses](/source/Poaceae), [sedges](/source/Cyperaceae), [mosses](/source/Moss) and [lichens](/source/Lichen)",[4] as well as a diversity of [flowering plants](/source/Flowering_plant).

An ecological research station is located on the site. Various studies have been conducted in the area, including those on the endangered [Peary caribou](/source/Peary_caribou) by the Canadian Wildlife Service. Currently, the territorial government is funding studies on [muskoxen](/source/Muskox) and [caribou](/source/Caribou) in the region.

Other than the two endangered species that inhabit the pass, polar bears and the aforementioned Peary caribou, it also contains at least 54 bird species and 11 mammals. [5] Rock structures on the North side of the pass provide nesting and dens for wildlife. [6]

Its name is derived from the [polar bears](/source/Polar_bear) that migrate through the region between March and November each year.[4]

## Conservation

Polar Bear Pass is an [International Biological Program](/source/International_Biological_Program) site. It was designated a [Ramsar](/source/Ramsar_list_of_wetlands_of_international_importance) site on May 24, 1982.[3] [Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area](/source/Polar_Bear_Pass_National_Wildlife_Area) received its designation in 1985.[7]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Polar Bear Pass"](https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/245). *[Ramsar](/source/Ramsar_Convention) Sites Information Service*. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Inuit Heritage Trust maps traditional names before they're lost"](https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/inuit-heritage-trust-maps-traditional-names-before-theyre-lost/). *Nunatsiaq News*. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-designation_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-designation_3-1) ["Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area, Nunavut - Ramsar Site"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080504010050/http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/nature/whp/ramsar/df02s02.en.html). [Environment Canada](/source/Environment_Canada). Archived from [the original](http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/nature/whp/ramsar/df02s02.en.html) on 2008-05-04. Retrieved 2008-01-27.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ramsar_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ramsar_4-1) ["The Annotated Ramsar List: Canada"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071230051034/http://www.ramsar.org/profile/profiles_canada.htm). *The Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance*. Ramsar Convention Bureau. Archived from [the original](http://www.ramsar.org/profile/profiles_canada.htm) on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2008-01-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2011-10-14). ["Polar Bear Pass (Nanuit Itillinga) National Wildlife Area"](https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/locations/polar-bear-pass.html). *www.canada.ca*. Retrieved 2022-12-04.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada. ["Information archivée dans le Web"](https://publications.gc.ca/site/archivee-archived.html?url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2020/eccc/cw66/CW66-673-1990-eng.pdf) (PDF). *publications.gc.ca*. Retrieved 2022-12-04.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-mpaglobal_7-0)** ["Polar Bear Pass"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064148/http://www.mpaglobal.org/index.php?action=showMain&site_code=13115). mpaglobal.org. Archived from [the original](http://www.mpaglobal.org/index.php?action=showMain&site_code=13115) on 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2009-09-10.

## External links

- ["Polar Bear Pass"](https://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique?id=OANAG). *[Geographical Names Data Base](/source/GeoBase_(geospatial_data)#Geographical_Names_Data_Base)*. [Natural Resources Canada](/source/Natural_Resources_Canada).

v t e Arctic Cordillera of Canada Ranges Adam Baffin Blackwelder Blue Boulder British Empire Bruce Byan Martin Challenger Conger Cunningham Douro Everett Garfield Geodetic Grinnell Grogan Morgan Haddington Hartz Inglefield Innuitian Jeffries Joy Kaumajet Krag Krieger Osborn Precipitous Prince of Wales Princess Margaret Sawtooth Scoresby Selamiut Stokes Swiss Thorndike Torngat Treuter United States Victoria and Albert White Triplets Mountains Angilaaq Angna Arrowhead Arthur Asgard Ayles Baldr Barbeau Bastille Battle Beaufort Biederbick Bishop's Mitre Brave Breidablik Caubvick Cirque Commonwealth Eugene Highpointer Innuit Kisimngiuqtuq Midnight Sun Nukap Odin Outlook Oxford Qiajivik Stokes Thor Thule Torngarsoak Ukpik Whisler White Crown Passes Akshayuk Ayr Bryant Cockscomb Eskimo Eureka Fortress Glacier Kingnait Perfection Pioneer Piper Polar Bear Revoir Singeyer Strand Fiord Sverdrup Van Hauen Yelverton Glaciers Ad Astra Ice Cap Agassiz Ice Cap Barnes Ice Cap Benedict Coronation Devon Ice Cap Disraeli Eugenie Gull Jimi Maasi Kaparoqtalik Keyhole Kiitarayuk Macculloch Narsarsuk Nuuksuq Oliver Parrish Penny Ice Cap Sermilik Sven Hedin Turnabout Utinatuk West Pioneer Regions Amund Ringnes Axel Heiberg Baffin Bathurst Bylot Coburg Cornwall Devon Ellef Ringnes Ellesmere Helena Île Vanier Labrador Lougheed Quebec Communities Alert Clyde River Eureka Grise Fiord Iqaluit Pangnirtung Pond Inlet Qikiqtarjuaq List of communities in Nunavut Parks Auyuittuq Quttinirpaaq Sirmilik Torngat Mountains

v t e Mountain passes of Nunavut Qikiqtaaluk Region Akshayuk Atagulisaktalik Ayr Cockscomb Eskimo Eureka Fortress Glacier Kingnait Perfection Pioneer Piper Polar Bear Singeyer Strand Fiord Sverdrup Van Hauen Yelverton

v t e Ramsar sites in Canada Baie de l'Isle-Verte Beaverhill Lake Cap Tourmente Chignecto Columbia Wetlands Creston Valley Delta Marsh Fraser River Delta Grand Codroy Estuary Hay-Zama Lakes Isulijarniq Migratory Bird Sanctuary Lac Saint-Pierre Lac Saint-François Last Mountain Lake Long Point Malpeque Bay Mary's Point Matchedash Bay McConnell River Mer Bleue Bog Minesing Swamp Musquodoboit Harbour Oak Hammock Marsh Old Crow Flats Peace–Athabasca Delta Point Pelee Polar Bear Pass Polar Bear Provincial Park Queen Maud Gulf Quill Lakes Rasmussen Lowlands Shepody Bay Southern Bight-Minas Basin Southern James Bay St. Clair Tabusintac Lagoon and River Estuary Whooping Crane Summer Range

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Polar Bear Pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Bear_Pass) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Bear_Pass?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.