a group of islands in Canada’s Arctic Ocean archipelago between Barrow Strait, Viscount Melville Sound, and M’Clure Strait in the south and Prince Gustaf Adolf Sea, Maclean Strait, Penny Strait, Queens Channel, and Wellington Channel in the northeast. They have a combined area of about 100,000 sq km. The largest islands are Bathurst, Melville, and Prince Patrick. The relief of the islands is mainly low, although the southern islands have mountain ranges as high as 1,067 m (Blue Hills). The climate is arctic, with less than 150 mm of precipitation annually. The terrain is arctic wasteland. The islands’ permanent settlements are Mould Bay on Prince Patrick Island and Resolute on Cornwallis Island. The island group is named in honor of W. E. Parry.