Pond Inlet is located at the top of Baffin Island.  The area has been inhabited by Inuit and their predecessors for thousands of years. The English name Pond Inlet comes from James Pond, the British Royal Astronomer in 1818. Explorer John Ross named the area about 5 km east of the present community in honour of Pond.

In Inuktitut, the area is called Mittimatilik (the place of Mittima, or the place where Mittima was buried).

Traders, whalers and explorers frequented Pond Inlet for more than 200 years. The Hudson's Bay Company and other traders had established posts there. Both the Anglicans and Roman Catholics established missions there in the 1920s. The Hamlet of Pond Inlet was incorporated in 1975, at the time Inuit were moving into permanent communities.  The Hamlet has an excellent summary of recent history on their website. At the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage, Pond Inlet plays an important role in the history of the Baffin region.  Click here for CYIO - Pond Inlet Airport Info. Pond Inlet Accommodation, Tourism and Links

The Qikiqtani Truth Commission has compiled a helpful survey of recent Pond Inlet history.

Two of the more famous stories to emanate from the Pond Inlet area are the murder of trader Robert Janes in the 1920s, and the migration of Qillaq from Baffin Island to Greenland.

Shelagh Grant has written an excellent book called Arctic Justice, It tells the story of the killing of Robert Janes and the subsequent trial of the Inuit responsible. The trial was one of the first introductions of the Canadian justice system in Canada's eastern arctic.

The story of Qillaq is the amazing tale of a group of Inuit who head north from Baffin Island on a migration to Greenland in the 1800s. It is chronicled in the book Qidlarssuaq, by Fr. Guy Mary Rouselliere. And here is the story, told in two parts, by Nunavut historian Kenn Harper.  Part 1;  Part 2

The community is also the gateway to Simirlik National Park and the Bylot Island Bird Sanctuary. The area is a great place for viewing wildlife, including whales, polar bears, birds and more. The community is a favourite of cruise ships for the beauty and uniqueness of the terrain.

Pond Inlet is also well above the Arctic Circle, giving it periods of 24 hour daylight in summer, and 24 hour darkness around Christmas time.

Check out this lovely video of Pond Inlet by Sylvain Renaud