Did you know…

Alert

Celebrating its 50th anniversary on September 1st, Canadian Forces Station Alert is the most northerly inhabited settlement in the world.  Located on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island (top of Canada), Alert is less than 820-km from the North Pole. 

Alert is named after the British ship HMS Alert which wintered in the vicinity of the present day station in the late 19th century.  Today, Alert is primarily used for signal intelligence (radio transmission/interception) and also provides a platform for search and rescue — the only way of access to the facility is by air.  The station has more than 60 full-time staff and prior to the 1980s only men served at Alert where postings lasted between 3-6 months.  

Being situated at such a northern location creates an environment where sunlight dominates the landscape between April and September (no nighttime) and no direct sunlight is present between October and March.  To give perspective as to its northern location, Alert is situated at more than 4,000-km from Ottawa!      

Canadian Forces Station Alert.
Credit: Natural Resources Canada