Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
18 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
19 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
21 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
22 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada Nunavut Sub-Sub-Sub Island on Victoria Island
AO Edited

Sub-Sub-Sub Island on Victoria Island

The Arctic Archipelago is home to world's largest third order island: an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island.

Nunavut

Added By
Lew Blank
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
High-def satellite image of third order island   NASA
High-def satellite image of third order island   NASA
High-def satellite image of third order island   NASA
Third order island on Victoria Island   Map Data © 2016 Google
Freckled terrain of Victoria Island   Map Data © 2016 Google
Victoria Island as part of Canada as a whole   Connormah / CC BY-SA 3.0
The world’s largest sub-sub-sub island   Map Data © 2012 Google
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Victoria Island, located right between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada, holds a few records under its name. It's the eighth largest island in the world (larger than Great Britain) and the second largest island in Canada. But its size isn't what makes this place so special.

The island is home to world's largest third order island, an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island. It's both a mouthful and a mind-boggling geographical quirk, and it remained hidden until the 21st century.

Josh Calder discovered the anomalous landscape in 2007, after scouring Google Maps. Though Calder published his findings in 2007, Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings is often erroneously credited with the discovery. 

Amazingly, a third order inception is not in itself unique; a third order island is also found inside the crater lake of Taal Volcano Island in the Philippines, for example. But at four acres, the third order island in Canada is much larger than that of the Philippines, and possibly the largest in the world. 

It is quite possible that this small island has never been visited before. The nearest civilians live in Cambridge Bay, 90 miles away from this isolated island, and no roads come anywhere near. Hire a helicopter and you could be the first person to set foot on this sub-sub-sub island.

It is also quite possible, though, that this island is not the largest third order island in the world after all. The terrain of Victoria Island and nearly half of Canada is freckled with tiny, splotched lakes. This means that there is likely another—perhaps larger—third order island in another part of Canada. 

Related Tags

Islands Lakes Landscapes World Record Geographic Markers Geographic Oddities Recursive Places Water

Community Contributors

Added By

lewblank

Edited By

aribrown, MrCarl, vellis, Meg...

  • aribrown
  • MrCarl
  • vellis
  • Meg
  • joshuagrom

Published

August 2, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2012-01-24/victoria-british-columbia-nunavut-unnamed-island-maphead-ken-jennings
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Island_(Canada)
  • http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=85342
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxhUsPBFPkU
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Jennings
  • https://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm
  • https://thetruesize.com/#?borders=1~!MTQ3MTA0NDc.MTM4MDY4MzQ*NjU2NzQ1OQ(NDEyNDA5OQ~!AZ*MA.MTgwMDAwMDA)Mw~!GB*NzA3OTg1NQ.MTQ1MTA2OTQ)NA
  • https://joshuagrom.de/third-order-island-2023/
  • https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Third+Order+Island/@69.7896571,-108.3598464,12.3z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x51f318ae882c3541:0x2c6b25ff05e12da4!2sVictoria+Island!3b1!8m2!3d70.9192002!4d-109.957401!3m4!1s0x5191f3e00b7b36ef:0x9861a20b7ba35416!8m2!3d69.7925051!4d-108.2409954
  • https://www.geo.de/reisen/reise-inspiration/einmal-entdecker-sein--drei-freunde-erkunden-eine-insel-auf-einer-insel-auf-einer-insel-34330826.html
Sub-Sub-Sub Island on Victoria Island
Nunavut
Canada
69.792435, -108.239511

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nunavut

Nunavut

Canada

Places 10
Stories 8

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nunavut

Nunavut

Canada

Places 10
Stories 8

Related Stories and Lists

Real-World Diagon Alley, the Original Tiki Bar, and Other Enticing New Atlas Locations

film locations

By Meg Neal

Related Places

  • Philippines

    Vulcan Point

    An island in the middle of a lake, in the middle of a volcano, in the middle of a bigger lake, in the middle of a bigger island, in an archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean.

  • Pedra de Lume

    Sal, Cape Verde

    Pedra de Lume

    An incredibly salty lake inside the crater of an extinct volcano.

  • A PIRATA weather buoy, the only thing that is really at Null Island.

    Null Island

    A busy island at the center of the world that doesn’t actually exist.

  • The salt lake becomes colorful in warm temperatures because of algae growth

    Yuncheng, China

    Yuncheng Salt Lake

    Rainbow-hued in the summer and crystalline in the winter, this salty lake has inspired battles, temples, and plenty of awe.

  • Lake Posta Fibreno

    Carpello, Italy

    Lake Posta Fibreno

    This serene, turquoise lake in an extraordinary nature reserve showcases a rare natural phenomenon.

  • The viewpoint.

    Invergarry, Scotland

    Glengarry Viewpoint

    From here, the loch appears to take the shape of mainland Scotland.

  • Chapel Rock on the shore of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

    Shingleton, Michigan

    Chapel Rock

    This lone tree and dramatic sandstone outcropping are so beloved by Michiganders they can be found on one of the state’s coins.

  • Footprints on the dunes.

    Mears, Michigan

    Silver Lake Sand Dunes

    An unlikely beach paradise of giant sand dunes lies between two lakes just a few minutes from Michigan's cherry country.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.