Nunavut
Nunavut (
Inuktitut syllabics:
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The word "Nunavut" in Inuktitut |
, (
fonts required)) is the largest and newest of the
territories of
Canada; it was separated officially from the vast
Northwest Territories on
April 1,
1999 via the
Nunavut Act and the
Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries were established in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's map since the incorporation of the new province of
Newfoundland (including Labrador) in 1949.
The capital of Nunavut is
Iqaluit (formerly
Frobisher Bay) on
Baffin Island in the east. Other major communities include
Rankin Inlet and
Cambridge Bay. Nunavut also includes
Ellesmere Island in the north and the east of
Victoria Island in the west. Nunavut is both the least populated and the largest of the provinces and territorities of Canada. It has a population of only 30,000 spread over an area the size of Western Europe. If Nunavut were a sovereign nation, it would be the least densely populated in the world: nearby
Greenland, for example, has almost the same area and twice the population.
Nunavut means 'our land' in
Inuktitut, the language of the
Inuit. Its inhabitants are called
Nunavummiut, singular
Nunavummiuq. Along with Inuktitut,
Inuinnaqtun,
English, and
French are also official languages.
The region now known as Nunavut has supported a continuous population for approximately 4000 years. Most historians also identify the coast of
Baffin Island with the
Helluland described in
Norse sagas, so it is possible that the inhabitants of the region had occasional contact with
Norse sailors.
For more information on the earliest inhabitants and explorers of Nunavut, see Paleoeskimo, Neoeskimo and Helluland.The recorded history of Nunavut began in 1576.
Martin Frobisher, while leading an expedition to find the
Northwest Passage, thought he had discovered gold ore in what is now known as
Frobisher Bay on the coast of
Baffin Island. The ore turned out to be worthless, but Frobisher made the first recorded European contact with the Inuit. The contact was hostile, with Frobisher capturing four Inuit people and bringing them back to
England, where they quickly perished.
Other explorers in search of the elusive
Northwest Passage followed in the 17th century, including
Henry Hudson,
William Baffin and
Robert Bylot.
In 1976, there were negotiations for a land claim agreement and the new territory between the
Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and the federal government started. In April 1982, a majority of Northwest Territories residents voted for a division, and the federal government gave a conditional agreement seven months later. A land claims agreement was decided in September 1992 and ratified by nearly 85% of the voters in Nunavut. On July 9, 1993, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act were passed by the Canadian Parliament, and the transition was completed on
April 1,
1999.
Although some people believe that Nunavut's borders were influenced by the shape of the
Inukshuk, a symbol of Inuit heritage, this is not the case. The border between Nunavut and the NWT reflect land claims agreements, while the provincial/territorial borders are those remaining from before division.
Nunavut's small and sparse population makes it unlikely the territory will be granted provincial status in the foreseeable future, although this may change if the
Yukon, which is only marginally more populous, becomes a province.
As of 2005, Nunavut has a population of approximately 30,000, of whom around 85% are native peoples, primarily
Inuit.
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Nunavut |
The territory covers about 1.9 million square kilometres of land and water including part of the mainland, most of the
Arctic Islands, and all of the islands in
Hudson Bay,
James Bay, and
Ungava Bay (including the
Belcher Islands) which belonged to the Northwest Territories. This makes it the
fourth largest subnational entity (
statoid) in the world. Nunavut has land borders with the Northwest Territories on several islands as well as the mainland, and a tiny land border with
Newfoundland and Labrador on
Killiniq Island.
If Nunavut were a country, it would rank 13th in area, after the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The creation of Nunavut created Canada's only
"four corners", at the intersection of the boundaries of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, at 60°00' north, 102°00' west, on the southern shore of
Kasba Lake. This is not the tourist spot it might be, as it is extremely remote and inaccessible, although there is a marker (albeit an out of date one) at the point, and some have made the trek. Some people see Nunavut's borders as forming the shape of an
Inukshuk.
The highest point in Nunavut is
Barbeau Peak on
Ellesmere Island at a height of 2616 m (8583 ft).
Arctic
tundra covers virtually all of Nunavut, the only exceptions being a tiny area in the extreme southwest near the "four corners" alluded to above, where a marginal
taiga forest exists, and small zones of permanent ice caps, found on some of the larger Arctic Islands (especially
Baffin,
Devon and
Ellesmere) at sites having a relatively high elevation.
Nunavut's vegetation is partially composed of rare berries,
lichens,
Arctic Willows, moss, tough grass, and small willow shrubs.
10 Largest Municipalities by population
| Municipality | 2001!1996 | | Iqaluit | 5,236 | 4,220 |
| Rankin Inlet | 2,177 | 2,058 |
| Arviat | 1,899 | 1,559 |
| Baker Lake | 1,507 | 1,385 |
| Cambridge Bay | 1,309 | 1,351 |
| Igloolik | 1,286 | 1,174 |
| Pangnirtung | 1,276 | 1,243 |
| Pond Inlet | 1,220 | 1,154 |
| Kugluktuk | 1,212 | 1,201 |
| Cape Dorset | 1,148 | 1,118 |
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Lupin Mine - 1982-current (
gold, currently in the process of shut-down)
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Polaris - 1982-2002 (
lead and
zinc)
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Nanisivik Mine - 1976-2002 (lead and zinc)
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Rankin Inlet Mine - 1957-1962 (
nickel and
copper)
Several mining projects are in the works and Tahera Diamonds' Jericho property will become Nunavut's first
diamond mine. As of January 2006 Miramar Mining Corporation's Doris gold project and Cumberland Resource's Meadowbank gold project were in the process of review for approval.
It is a commonly-held misconception that Nunavut is made up of some of the former regions of the NWT, separated in their entirety. This is not the case; the dividing line did not follow region boundaries, although boundaries have been subsequently finessed so that three former NWT regions collectively constitute Nunavut. They serve as
census divisions, but have no autonomous governments:
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Qikiqtaaluk Region (formerly "Baffin Region")
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Kivalliq Region (formerly "Keewatin Region")
*
Kitikmeot RegionThe former NWT's Baffin region was entirely transferred to Nunavut. The former Kitikmeot region is mostly in Nunavut, except two southwestern areas and the northwest corner of
Victoria Island. Likewise, the former Keewatin region is largely in Nunavut, except a southwestern rectangle.
Fort Smith region and
Inuvik region remain
census divisions of the Northwest Territories. A small right triangle of the former Fort Smith region is in Nunavut now, while none of the Inuvik region was transferred to Nunavut.
The aforementioned regional divisions are distinct from the
district system of dividing the Northwest Territories that dated to 1876 and was abolished when Nunavut was created. Nunavut encompasses the entirety of the
District of Keewatin (which had differing boundaries from the Keewatin/Kivalliq regions), the majority of the
District of Franklin and a small portion of the
District of Mackenzie.
See List of communities in Nunavut.Nunavut's head of state is a
Commissioner appointed by the federal
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. As in the other territories, the commissioner's role is symbolic and is analogous to that of a
lieutenant-governor. While the Commissioner is not formally a representative of the
Queen of Canada, a role roughly analogous to representing the Crown has accrued to the position.
The members of the
unicameral legislative assembly are elected individually; there are
no parties and the legislature is consensus-based. The head of government, the
premier of Nunavut, is elected by, and from the members of the legislative assembly.
The territory's first legislature was dissolved on
January 16,
2004, with an election shortly thereafter. See
Nunavut general election, 2004. As of this writing, Nunavut is in its second government.
Faced by criticism of his policies,
Premier Paul Okalik set up an advisory council of 11 elders, whose function it is to help incorporate
"Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit" (Inuit culture and traditional knowledge, often referred to in English as "IQ") into the territory's political and governmental decisions.
The territory has an annual budget of $700 million
CAD, provided almost entirely by the federal government. Former Prime Minister
Paul Martin designated support for Northern Canada as one of his priorities for 2004, with an extra $500 million to be divided among the three territories.
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Legislative Assembly of Nunavut*
List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols*
List of communities in Nunavut*
List of Nunavut commissioners*
List of Nunavut premiers*
Nunavut Arctic College*
Highways in Nunavut*
Transportation in Nunavut*
Scouting in Nunavut*
Map showing regions of Nunavut (from Nunavut Government website)
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Legislative Assembly of Nunavut*
Nunavut Kavamat / Government of Nunavut: Official site
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Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.: Nunavut Land Claims website
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Nunavut Tourism*
Nunavut Planning Commission*
Nunavut Parks*
Maple Leaf Web: Nunavut: The Story of Canada's Inuit People*
Explore Nunavut: Travel information and community guides*
CBC Digital Archives â€" Creation of Nunavut*
CBC Digital Archives - On the Nunavut Campaign Trail*
The Nunavut Act of 1993 at Canadian Legal Information Institute
