Auyuittuq National Park
Aujittuk is a national park in Canada, founded in 2001 on the island of Baffin's Land. From the Inuit language, Auwittuk translates as "never-quenching land." The park's territory is covered with snow almost all year round, and the main attraction of the park is Cape Penny Ice, which is covered with snow and ice over an area of 6,000 km2.
The most ancient mountains on the Cumberland Peninsula were formed 2.8 billion years ago. About 550 million years ago, at the time when life began to form on the planet toka, the eastern Arctic was submerged in the depths of water, which is why sedimentary rocks can be found on the rocks. 60 million years ago, due to the movement of tectonic plates, Baffin Island separated from Greenland and the Cumberland Peninsula rose from the water, rains and winds removed almost all sedimentary rocks.
Only 15% of the area in Aujittuk Park has vegetation, mainly in the valleys. In total, 112 varieties of plants, 97 varieties of lichens and 136 mosses grow in the park. Among the shrubs, heather and dwarf birch are worth noting, and there are also many flowering plants in the park, such as cucumbers, saxifrages, and lichen.
The coastal line of Aujittuk Park is covered with a thick snow cover almost all year round, but nevertheless the animals were able to adapt to such a harsh environment. The park is constantly inhabited by reindeer, polar bears, musk oxen, and many small rodents such as hares, arctic foxes, lemmings, and whales and seals can be seen in the sea. Of the birds, the tundra partridge is most often seen.
The magnificent Akshayuk Pass is located in the south-east of the Auwittuk National Park. The pass is also a wonderful ski area and a good place for hiking. Travelers also like the "Summer Lake" located at the top of the pass, glaciers, and views of the national park from it. In the western part of the park are the highest mountains of the peninsula, the larger of them are Asgard and Thor with a height of more than 1,200 meters.
From the polar Arctic climate, Aujittuk has long and cold winters and quite cool summers. In January, the average temperature is around 30 °C, and in July it does not exceed 10 ° C, which is why permafrost prevails in almost the entire park. Therefore, tourism cannot fully develop in this area, travelers visit these places mainly from July to August.
