Els jaciments arqueològics mostren que ja estava habitat fa més de 4.000 anys. El primer contacte amb europeus va ser sota el Capità William Edward Parry qui passà l'hivern a Igloolik el 1822.
Igloolik té un clima polar amb 9 mesos de l'any sota zero. La temperaturamitjana anual és de -13,3 °C El gener -31,6 i el juliol 7,4. La pluviometria és de 222 litres.
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Allen, Kristiann. Negotiating Health The Meanings and Implications of Building a Healthy Community in Igloolik, Nunavut. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2002. ISBN 0-612-64124-4
Aporta, Claudio. Old Routes, New Trails Contemporary Inuit Travel and Orienting in Igloolik, Nunavut. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2004. ISBN 0-612-87930-5
Dredge, L. A. The Geology of the Igloolik Island Area, and Sea Level Changes. Yellowknife, N.W.T.: Science Institute of the Northwest Territories, 1992.
Ford, James D., Barry Smit, Johanna Wandel, and John MacDonald. 2006. "Vulnerability to Climate Change in Igloolik, Nunavut: What We Can Learn from the Past and Present". Polar Record (journal). 42, no. 2: 127-138.
Leontowich, Kent. A Study of the Benthic Faunal Distribution in the Subtidal Zone of Turton Bay, Igloolik Island, Nunavut. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2005. ISBN 0-612-92856-X
Niwranski, K., P. G. Kevan, and A. Fjellberg. 2002. "Effects of Vehicle Disturbance and Soil Compaction on Arctic Collembolan Abundance and Diversity on Igloolik Island, Nunavut, Canada". European Journal of Soil Biology. 38, no. 2: 193-196.
Wachowich, Nancy. Making a Living, Making a Life Subsistence and the Re-Enactment of Iglulingmiut Cultural Practices. Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 2001. ISBN 0-612-61191-4