Arctic Bay, Nunavut, incorporated as a hamlet in 1976, population 823 (2011c), 690 (2006c). The Hamlet of Arctic Bay is located on the north shore of Adams Sound, off Admiralty Inlet, northern Baffin Island. Situated on a low gravel beach surrounded on 3 sides by high hills, this community has been occupied by nomadic Inuit hunters during several stages over the past 5000 years. The Inuit call it Ikpiarjuk, which translates into "bag" or "pocket" and is a reference to the sheltered location of the community. The English name is derived from the whaling ship Arctic, which visited the site in 1872.