Explore the relics of failed settlements, doomed expeditions, and ancient Inuit history on Devon Island, one of the Arctic’s most unforgiving landscapes.
At 74º latitude, Devon Island is nearly 5,000 miles north of Hawaii—and more than five times the size.
Lying along the storied Northwest Passage in Nunavut, Canada, Devon Island remains uninhabited.
Today, Devon Island showcases the long, long art of human survival to its few visitors.
Search parties began in 1848, and the first Franklin clue was found in 1850: a naturalist’s rake discovered on Devon Island.

The tragic history of the largest uninhabited island on Earth