Coats Island (Inuktitut: ᐊᑉᐸᑑᕐᔪᐊᖅ, Appatuurjuaq)[2] lies at the northern end of Hudson Bay in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut.

The southern half of the island is primarily low-lying muskeg and made up of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, such as limestone and sandstone.

These are visited regularly by Inuit from the hamlet at Coral Harbour, on Southampton Island, for harvesting.

[4] It received its name from William Coats, a sea captain for the Hudson's Bay Company.

In 1824, HMS Griper, under Captain George Francis Lyon, anchored off Cape Pembroke on Coats Island.

Then, in the fall of 1902, the British trading and whaling[6] vessel named the Active had made a stop at Cape Low,[7] Southampton Island.

It is said that some of the Sadlermiut caught a disease, possibly influenza,[8] typhoid or typhus, from a sick sailor aboard the Active, which then spread to the entire community.