Ahiak Migratory Bird Sanctuary
| Ahiak Migratory Bird Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
| Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary | |
| Location | Nunavut, Canada |
| Nearest city | Bathurst Inlet |
| Coordinates | 67°00′N 100°30′W / 67.000°N 100.500°W |
| Area | 6,292,818 ha (15,549,890 acres) |
| Established | 1961 |
| Governing body | Environment and Climate Change Canada |
| Official name | Queen Maud Gulf |
| Designated | 24 May 1982 |
| Reference no. | 246 |
The Ahiak Migratory Bird Sanctuary, formerly the Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary, is Canada's largest federally owned protected area, encompassing some 6,292,818 ha (15,549,890 acres) of the Arctic Circle coastline and includes 655,334 ha (1,619,370 acres) that are marine.
Under the terms of the Ramsar Convention, it was designated as a wetland of international importance in 1982. It is the world's second-largest Ramsar Site. The majority of the park is Arctic Lowlands and countless streams, ponds and shallow lakes. The land is mainly Arctic tundra and marshes.
In 1982, 450,000 geese, including the majority of the world's Ross's geese, nested in the sanctuary, one of the largest concentration of geese on Earth.
The protected area was established in 1961 under the Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations of the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act of 1917. It was named for Queen Maud of Norway.