Primary outflows Ekalluk River Surface area 588 km (227 sq mi) Area 562 km² Cities Cambridge Bay | Basin countries Canada Surface elevation 11 m Outflow location Ekalluk River | |
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Islands 8 km × 4 km (5.0 mi × 2.5 mi) Settlements Cambridge Bay, 50 km (31 mi) south | ||
Ferguson Lake (Inuinnaqtun: Tahiryuaq or Tahikyoak) is located on southern Victoria Island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, in northern Canada. It drains westward into Iqaluktuuq River (meaning "place of big fish") which is a segment of the Ekalluk River, 5 mi (8.0 km) from the northeastern side of Wellington Bay (Ekaloktok), on Dease Strait, Arctic Ocean Ferguson Lake is the namesake of Constable Ferguson, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police member.
Map of Ferguson Lake, Kitikmeot, Unorganized, NU, Canada
Ferguson Lake has been characterized as "polar semi-desert". Its fauna includes willow-sedge meadows, Dryas uplands, and raised beaches. The narrow land area between Wellington Bay and Ferguson Lake funnels migrating Dolphin and Union caribou herd, making them easy prey for Inuit hunters. Muskox, Arctic hare, and ptarmigan also inhabit the area. The lake itself contains Arctic char (iqalukpiit) and lake trout (ihuurayuit). These were the principal food sources for Copper Inuit who were predated by people of the Dorset culture through Thule culture as evidenced by Canadian Arctic archaeological sites on the banks of the lake, its river, and about 1 km north on the bay (Cadfael site).