Quttinirpaaq National Park Quttinirpaaq National Park, Nunavut, size 37 775 km2, was established as a national park reserve in 1988 and was established as a national park in 1999. Canada's second largest national park, Quttinirpaaq, is located on the northern tip of the most northerly piece of land in North America. Its name means "top of the world" in the language of the Inuit. Ice from the great ice sheet that covered Canada during the last ICE AGE still clings to the mountains, which are the highest east of the ROCKY MOUNTAINS. Holding fast to the northern coast is sea ice which spreads out for hundreds of square kilometres. In contrast, to the southeast of the mountains is Lake Hazen, which never freezes over. The land around the lake is a hospitable habitat for Arctic plants and animals in this otherwise harsh polar desert. The Canadian Encyclopedia © 2009 Historica Foundation of Canada