The Nanook River is located on Victoria Island in Northern Canada

Northern Canada

Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...

, commencing in the Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

 and ending in Nunavut

Nunavut

Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

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The Nanook River originates in the island's central plain, south of the Shaler Mountains

Shaler Mountains

The Shaler Mountains are a mountain range situated at the Northwest Territories-Nunavut border on north-central Victoria Island, Canada. Its highest point is , as well as the highest point on Victoria Island.-References:...

. about two hours by Twin Otter north of Cambridge Bay

Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Cambridge Bay, named for Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, is a hamlet located in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada...

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The river flows east, passes through a rapid, and then enters Namaycush Lake. From here, it proceeds northwards through several lakes, the last being the largest at 10 km (6.2 mi) long and 7 km (4.3 mi) wide. The final 8 km (5 mi) include several uncharted rapids before the river's mouth reaches Hadley Bay

Hadley Bay

Hadley Bay is an Arctic waterway in the Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in western Viscount Melville Sound, by northern Victoria Island. It is east of Wynniatt Bay, and north of the community of Cambridge Bay.-Geography:...

, emptying into Viscount Melville Sound

Viscount Melville Sound

Viscount Melville Sound is an arm of the Arctic Ocean in Kitikmeot, Nunavut, Canada. Forming part of the Parry Channel, it separates Victoria Island and Prince of Wales Island from the Queen Elizabeth Islands. East of the sound lies Lancaster Sound, leading into Baffin Bay; westward lies the...

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No glacier

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

s feed the river. Lousewort, arctic poppy

Papaver radicatum

Papaver radicatum is a plant species of the genus Papaver. The species grows at a latitude of 83°40'N on Kaffeklubben Island, making it the northern most growing plant in the world.This poppy appears on the Coat of arms of Nunavut.-See also:*Svalbard poppy,...

, aven

Dryas (plant)

Dryas is a genus of dwarf perennial herbaceous plants in the rose family Rosaceae, native to the arctic and alpine regions of Europe, Asia and North America. The genus is named after the Greek nymph Dryas. The classification of Dryas within the Rosaceae has been unclear...

, sedge

Cyperaceae

Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...

, willow thickets are found along the river. Arctic fox

Arctic fox

The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...

, lemming

Lemming

Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes. They are subniveal animals, and together with voles and muskrats, they make up the subfamily Arvicolinae , which forms part of the largest mammal radiation by far, the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes rats,...

, muskox, snowy owl

Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great...

, Peary caribou

Peary Caribou

The Peary Caribou is a caribou subspecies found in the high Arctic islands of Canada's Nunavut and Northwest territories. They are the smallest of the North American caribou, with the females weighing an average of 60 kg and the males 110 kg...

frequent the river, and polar bears are common at its mouth.