Alert

Alert, Nunavut, is a Canadian military base located at the north end of ELLESMERE ISLAND on rugged terrain surrounded by hills and valleys. The shoreline is composed of slate and shale while the offshore is covered with pack ice throughout the summer months. The site was first visited by Sir George NARES, who commanded HMS Alert in 1875-76, the first vessel to land on the shores of northern Ellesmere Island. In 1950, the Canadian government established a weather station at Alert. It was taken over by the military in 1958. The military continues to use the base year-round, but does not reveal the number of men or the technology present at the site for reasons of security. Access to Alert is restricted to military personnel. It is the most northerly permanent settlement in the world.

Author EDWARD STRUZIK

Links to Other Sites
Nunavut Parks
Find out about Nunavut's territorial parks, heritage rivers, and other special places. A Government of Nunavut website.

Frozen Ocean
A superb online exhibit about the search for the Northwest Passage. Historic maps and images from books show how the Inuit assisted foreign led expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and how European explorers gradually accepted Inuit techniques of travel and survival. Contemporary maps show the lasting achievement of the expeditions: the mapping of the Canadian Arctic. From the Toronto Public Library.

Alert
This article offers a glimpse into scientific research and military activities centred around Canadian Forces Station Alert, located at the northern tip of the most northerly island in Canada's Arctic Archipelago. From “Canadian Geographic” magazine.

Arctic Diary
Excerpts from an illustrated diary that chronicles the activities of a Canadian scientific research group working on the Arctic sea ice at the northern most tip of our country. From Canada Science and Technology Museum.