Third largest island of the Arctic Archipelago , Canada.
About 320 mi (515 km) long and 170–370 mi (270–600 km) wide, it has an area of 83,896 sq mi (217,291 sq km). Discovered in 1838 by Thomas Simpson, it was named for Queen Victoria and was first explored by John Rae in 1851. Formerly part of the Northwest Territories , a portion of it was transferred to Nunavut in 1999.