Other names are Cumberland Straits, Hogarth Sound, and Northumberland Inlet.

[3] Small islands litter the stretch of water which was formed from glacial activity and meltwater produced from the receding glacier.

After that it was unvisited by Europeans until 1839, when the British whaler and explorer William Penny persuaded Eenoolooapik (brother of interpreter and guide Taqulittuq) to show him the inland sea.

[6] Other notable species include marine mammals such as the ringed, bearded, harp, harbour and hooded seals, as well as the polar bear.

Significant fish populations include Arctic char and Greenland halibut.