Cape Parry

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title: "Cape Parry" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["peninsulas-of-the-northwest-territories", "important-bird-areas-of-the-northwest-territories", "rocket-launch-sites-in-canada", "military-history-of-canada", "former-populated-places-in-the-inuvik-region", "geography-of-the-inuvialuit-settlement-region"] description: "Headland in Canada's Northwest Territories" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Parry" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Headland in Canada's Northwest Territories ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/View_of_Cape_Parry_(51305).jpg" caption="View of Cape Parry from July 24, 1916" alt="View of Cape Parry from July 24, 1916"] ::

Cape Parry is a headland in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located at the northern tip of the Parry Peninsula, it projects into Amundsen Gulf. The nearest settlement is Paulatuk, 100 km to the south, and Fiji Island is located 9 km to the west. Cape Parry was formerly accessible through Cape Parry Airport that was located at the Distant Early Warning Line. The airport was listed as abandoned after the closure of the DEW line site.

It is named for the Arctic explorer William Edward Parry.

History

Between the 1950s to the 1980s, a Distant Early Warning Line site (PIN-Main, ) was located south of Police Point, the cape's western point. During the period of 1969 to 1982, eighteen sounding rocket launches were made at Cape Parry.

Geography

Cape Parry is a three-pointed outcrop of coastal cliffs. The limestone formation rises 20 m above sea level. The deeply incised coastal beaches are composed of sand and gravel, and form bays and inlets. On either side of the narrow isthmus that joins Cape Parry to the Parry Peninsula are Tyne Bay to the west and Gillet Bay to the east.

The Cape Parry Migratory Bird Sanctuary is located here, and the coastal waters adjacent to the Cape are protected as part of the Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam Marine Protected Area.

Climate

Absolute minimum temperature is -47.2 C, while absolute maximum temperature is 23.9 C. Annual snowfall is 116.0 cm. Although the staffed weather station is no longer in operation there is an automatic weather station (CZCP) at the site.

|metric first= Y |single line = Y |width=100% |location= Cape Parry |Jan maximum humidex= -1.6 |Feb maximum humidex= -3.5 |Mar maximum humidex= -1.2 |Apr maximum humidex= 3.4 |May maximum humidex= 10.6 |Jun maximum humidex= 22.1 |Jul maximum humidex= 26.9 |Aug maximum humidex= 23.0 |Sep maximum humidex= 18.8 |Oct maximum humidex= 5.0 |Nov maximum humidex= 2.8 |Dec maximum humidex= -1.8 |year maximum humidex= 26.9 |Jan record high C= -1.0 |Feb record high C= -2.4 |Mar record high C= -0.6 |Apr record high C= 4.0 |May record high C= 11.1 |Jun record high C= 24.1 |Jul record high C= 25.8 |Aug record high C= 24.1 |Sep record high C= 18.3 |Oct record high C= 10.7 |Nov record high C= 3.3 |Dec record high C= -1.7 |year record high C= 23.9 |Jan high C= -23.1 |Feb high C= -24.4 |Mar high C= -22.3 |Apr high C= -13.7 |May high C= -4.4 |Jun high C= 5.0 |Jul high C= 9.4 |Aug high C= 8.0 |Sep high C= 2.8 |Oct high C= -4.4 |Nov high C= -16.2 |Dec high C= -20.2 |year high C= -8.6 |Jan mean C= -26.1 |Feb mean C= -27.5 |Mar mean C= -25.5 |Apr mean C= -17.2 |May mean C= -7.2 |Jun mean C= 2.3 |Jul mean C= 6.3 |Aug mean C= 5.5 |Sep mean C= 1.1 |Oct mean C= -6.5 |Nov mean C= -18.9 |Dec mean C= -23.2 |year mean C= -11.4 |Jan low C= -29.1 |Feb low C= -30.6 |Mar low C= -28.7 |Apr low C= -20.8 |May low C= -9.9 |Jun low C= -0.4 |Jul low C= 3.1 |Aug low C= 2.9 |Sep low C= -0.7 |Oct low C= -8.5 |Nov low C= -21.6 |Dec low C= -26.0 |year low C= -14.2 |Jan record low C= -47.2 |Feb record low C= -47.2 |Mar record low C= -43.4 |Apr record low C= -38.9 |May record low C= -27.8 |Jun record low C= -12.2 |Jul record low C= -3.9 |Aug record low C= -4.3 |Sep record low C= -12.8 |Oct record low C= -28.3 |Nov record low C= -36.7 |Dec record low C= -41.7 |year record low C= -47.2 |Jan chill= -68.4 |Feb chill= -67.3 |Mar chill= -60.6 |Apr chill= -53.2 |May chill= -37.2 |Jun chill= -22.3 |Jul chill= -10.0 |Aug chill= -14.0 |Sep chill= -21.1 |Oct chill= -38.4 |Nov chill= -52.5 |Dec chill= -61.1 |year chill= -68.4 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm= 6.7 |Feb precipitation mm= 7.9 |Mar precipitation mm= 5.0 |Apr precipitation mm= 6.1 |May precipitation mm= 8.0 |Jun precipitation mm= 9.1 |Jul precipitation mm= 24.5 |Aug precipitation mm= 26.5 |Sep precipitation mm= 27.4 |Oct precipitation mm= 23.2 |Nov precipitation mm= 10.0 |Dec precipitation mm= 6.8 |year precipitation mm= 161.2 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm= 0.0 |Feb rain mm= 0.0 |Mar rain mm= 0.0 |Apr rain mm= 0.0 |May rain mm= 0.7 |Jun rain mm= 7.8 |Jul rain mm= 23.5 |Aug rain mm= 21.9 |Sep rain mm= 14.7 |Oct rain mm= 0.8 |Nov rain mm= 0.0 |Dec rain mm= 0.0 |year rain mm= 69.4 |snow colour = green |Jan snow cm= 8.2 |Feb snow cm= 10.6 |Mar snow cm= 6.6 |Apr snow cm= 8.9 |May snow cm= 10.2 |Jun snow cm= 2.1 |Jul snow cm= 0.9 |Aug snow cm= 3.7 |Sep snow cm= 12.9 |Oct snow cm= 27.6 |Nov snow cm= 15.1 |Dec snow cm= 9.3 |year snow cm= 116.0 |humidity colour = green |Jan humidity= 78.6 |Feb humidity= 79.4 |Mar humidity= 77.6 |Apr humidity= 81.2 |May humidity= 86.1 |Jun humidity= 82.6 |Jul humidity= 79.4 |Aug humidity= 83.4 |Sep humidity= 85.7 |Oct humidity= 85.0 |Nov humidity= 81.4 |Dec humidity= 80.5 |year humidity= 81.7 |unit precipitation days= 0.2 mm |Jan precipitation days= 6.3 |Feb precipitation days= 7.1 |Mar precipitation days= 5.9 |Apr precipitation days= 6.2 |May precipitation days= 6.2 |Jun precipitation days= 4.7 |Jul precipitation days= 9.0 |Aug precipitation days= 10.9 |Sep precipitation days= 12.1 |Oct precipitation days= 15.0 |Nov precipitation days= 8.3 |Dec precipitation days= 8.4 |year precipitation days= 100.2 |unit rain days= 0.2 mm |Jan rain days= 0.0 |Feb rain days= 0.0 |Mar rain days= 0.1 |Apr rain days= 0.1 |May rain days= 0.8 |Jun rain days= 3.8 |Jul rain days= 10.1 |Aug rain days= 11.1 |Sep rain days= 7.5 |Oct rain days= 1.1 |Nov rain days= 0.0 |Dec rain days= 0.1 |year rain days= 34.6 |unit snow days= 0.2 cm |Jan snow days= 8.2 |Feb snow days= 9.6 |Mar snow days= 7.9 |Apr snow days= 8.7 |May snow days= 8.3 |Jun snow days= 2.4 |Jul snow days= 0.9 |Aug snow days= 2.7 |Sep snow days= 7.9 |Oct snow days= 16.9 |Nov snow days= 11.1 |Dec snow days= 9.4 |year snow days= 93.9 |source 1= Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010

Flora and fauna

There is sparse vegetation, except in low-lying wet areas.

Beluga whale, bowhead whale, bearded seal, ringed seal, as well as caribou, grizzly bear, and polar bear, frequent the area.

There are nationally significant populations of common eider, glaucous gull, king eider, long-tailed duck, and yellow-billed loon on the cape. It is also one of only two sites in the western Arctic where black guillemot are thought to breed. The cape's thick-billed murre colony is more isolated than any other murre colony in the world.

Protection status

The cape, an Important Bird Area (NT041), is home to the Cape Parry Migratory Bird Sanctuary (Site 6) which was established in 1961. It is also an International Biological Programme Site (#4-11) and lies within a Key Marine Habitat Site (Site 19).

References

References

1. {{CFS
2. {{Cite cgndb. LAELN. Cape Parry Dew Line
3. "Cape Parry NWT PIN-Main".
4. "Cape Parry".
5. (2019-11-14). "Cape Parry Migratory Bird Sanctuary". Environment and Climate Change Canada.
6. (2019-09-18). "Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam Marine Protected Area (MPA)". Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
7. "Cape Parry A". [[Environment and Climate Change Canada]].
8. Johnson, Stephen R.. (June 1985). "Observations of Thick-billed Murres (''Uria lomvia'') and Other Seabirds at Cape Parry, Amundsen Gulf, N.W.T.". Arctic.
9. "Northwest Territories Migratory Bird Sanctuary Facts". [[Environment and Climate Change Canada]].
10. Latour, Paul. (2008). "Key migratory bird terrestrial habitat sites in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut". Canadian Wildlife Service.
11. {{Cite cgndb. LASCS. Cape Parry

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