Iqaluit[a] is the capital of theCanadian territory ofNunavut. It is the territory's largest community and its only city, and the northernmost city in Canada. It was known asFrobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after thelarge bay on the coast on which the city is situated. Its traditionalInuktitut name was restored in 1987.[7]
In 1999, Iqaluit was designated the capital of Nunavut after the division of theNorthwest Territories into two separate territories. Before this event, Iqaluit was a small city and not well known outside theCanadian Arctic or Canada, with population and economic growth highly limited. This is due to Iqaluit's isolation and heavy dependence on expensive imported supplies, as the city, like the rest of Nunavut, has no road or rail connections to the rest of Canada, and has ship connections for only part of the year. Iqaluit has apolar climate, influenced by the cold deep waters of theLabrador Current just offBaffin Island, which makes the city cold, although it is well south of theArctic Circle.
As of the2021 Canadian census, the population was 7,429[5] (population centre: 6,991[5]), a decrease of 4.0 per cent from the2016 census. Iqaluit has the lowest population of any capital city in Canada. Inhabitants of Iqaluit are calledIqalummiut (singular:Iqalummiuq).
Iqaluit has been a traditional fishing location used byInuit and their predecessors, thePaleo-Eskimo (Dorset culture) andThule, for thousands of years.[8][9] The name,Iqaluit, comes fromInuktitut Iqaluit (ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ), which meansplace of many fish.[7]
World War II resulted in an influx of non-Inuit to the area in 1942, when the United States builtFrobisher Bay Air Base there, on a long-term lease from theGovernment of Canada,[citation needed] in order to provide a stop-over and refuelling site for the short-range aircraft being ferried to Europe to support the war effort. Iqaluit's first permanent resident wasNakasuk, anInuk guide who helpedUnited States Army Air Forces planners to choose a site with a large flat area suitable for a landing strip.[10] The wartime airstrip was known as Crystal Two and was part of theCrimson Route.[11] It operates today asIqaluit Airport.[citation needed]
The US and Canadian authorities named itFrobisher Bay, after the name of the body of water it borders.[citation needed]
TheHudson's Bay Company moved its south Baffin operations toApex in 1949 (pictured in 2005) to take advantage of the nearby airfield.
In 1949, after the war, theHudson's Bay Company moved its south Baffin operations to the neighbouring valley ofNiaqunngut, officially calledApex, in order to use the airfield.[citation needed] In the mid-1950s, the population of Frobisher Bay increased rapidly during the construction of theDistant Early Warning Line (DEW line), a system of defensive radar stations—seeNORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command).[citation needed]
Hundreds of mostly non-Inuit construction workers, military personnel, and administrative staff moved into the community, and several hundred Inuit followed, to take advantage of the access to jobs and medical care provided by the base operations.[citation needed] By 1957, 489 of the town's 1,200 residents were reported to be Inuit. After 1959, the Canadian government established permanent services at Frobisher Bay, including full-time doctors, a school, and social services. The Inuit population grew rapidly in response, as the government encouraged Inuit to settle permanently in communities supported by government services.[citation needed]
Naval Radio Station (NRS) Frobisher Bay (HMCS Frobisher Bay), callsign CFI, was established in July 1954 as a result of the closure of NRS Chimo, Quebec. Station CFI was part of the Supplementary Radio network. Because of its remoteness and size, it was very expensive to operate. RenamedCFS Frobisher Bay in 1966, advancing technology eventually forced the closure of CFI later that year.[12]
The American military left Iqaluit in 1963,[13] as the development of theintercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) diminished the strategic value of theDEW line andArctic airbases. Canada continued to operate an administrative and logistical centre for much of the eastern Arctic at Frobisher Bay. In 1964, the first local elections were held for a community council, and in 1979 for the first mayor.[citation needed] The founding of the Gordon Robertson Educational Centre, nowInuksuk High School, in the 1971[14] at Iqaluit confirmed the government's commitment to the community as an administrative centre. At the time of its founding, this was the sole high school operating in what constituted more than one-seventh of Canadian territory.[citation needed]
On 1 January 1987, the name of the municipality was changed from "Frobisher Bay" to "Iqaluit".[15] This aligned official usage with the name that the Inuit population had always used, although many documents were made that referred to Iqaluit as Frobisher Bay for several years after 1987. In the non-binding1995 Nunavut capital plebiscite, held 11 December, the residents of what would become the new territory selected Iqaluit (overRankin Inlet) to serve as the future capital. On 19 April 2001, it became an official city.[16]
Canada designated Iqaluit as the host city for the 2010 meeting of theG7 (Group of Seven) finance ministers.[17] It was held on 5–6 February.[18] The requirements for the international meeting strained the northern communications technology infrastructure and required supplemental investment.[19]
1576 – EnglishmanMartin Frobisher sails intoFrobisher Bay believing he has found the westward route to China. He held the first Anglican church service in North America here.
1955 – Frobisher Bay becomes the centre for the United States/CanadaDEW Line construction operations. Many Inuit continue to settle here for local services.
1958 – Telephone exchange service established byBell Canada.
1963 – United States military move out, resulting in some population loss.
1964 – First community council formed.[21] The population of Frobisher Bay is 900.[22]
1970 – Frobisher Bay officially recognized as a settlement.
1974 – Settlement of Frobisher Bay gains village status.
1976 – Inuit present a proposal for a separate Nunavut Territory to the Federal government.[23]
Iqaluit is the northernmost city in Canada, at 63 degrees north of theEquator. Iqaluit is located in theEverett Mountains, which rise from Koojesse Inlet,[20] an inlet of Frobisher Bay, on the southeast part of Baffin Island. It is well to the east of Nunavut's mainland, and northeast ofHudson Bay.
Iqaluit has atundra climate, featuring long, cold winters, and brief summers that are too cool to permit the growth of large trees.
Iqaluit has atundra climate (Köppen:ET,Trewartha:Ftkd) typical of the Arctic region, although it is well outside theArctic Circle. The city features long, cold winters and brief, cool summers. Average monthly temperatures are below freezing for eight months of the year.[28] Iqaluit averages just over 400 mm (16 in) of precipitation annually, much wetter than many other localities in theArctic Archipelago, with the summer being the wettest season. Temperatures of the winter months are comparable to other northern communities further west on the continent such asYellowknife and to some extent evenFairbanks, Alaska, even though Iqaluit is a few degrees colder than the latter. Summer temperatures are, however, much colder due to its easterly maritime position affected by the waters of the coldBaffin Island Current. This means that thetree line is much further south in the eastern part of Canada, being as southbound, in spite of low elevation, as northernLabrador.[29]
Although it is north of the natural tree line, there are some short, south-facing importedblack spruce (Picea mariana) specimens protected bysnowdrifts in the winter,[30] in addition to a fewshrubs, which arewoody plants. These include theArctic willow (Salix arctica). The Arctic willow may be up to around 7.6 m (25 ft) horizontally, but only 150 mm (6 in) tall.
The climate of Iqaluit is also colder thanGulf Stream locations on the same latitude. For example, the Norwegian city ofTrondheim has an annual mean temperature that is 15.2 °C (27.4 °F) milder.
The lowest temperature ever recorded was −45.6 °C (−50.1 °F) on 10 February 1967.[28] The highest temperature ever recorded in Iqaluit was 26.8 °C (80.2 °F) on 21 July 2008.[31]
Iqaluit's climate is changing. In 1979, the mean temperature was −9.0 °C (15.8 °F), but in 2023, it was −6.8 °C (19.8 °F). Furthermore, during the first 23 years of that period, there were 14 years which displayed a negative temperature anomaly and 9 which displayed a positive one, whereas in the second 23 years, there were only 3 negative and 20 positive temperature anomaly years.[32]
Apex (Niaqunngut), officially and functionally part of the City of Iqaluit, is a small community about 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast (63°43′20″N068°26′56″W / 63.72222°N 68.44889°W /63.72222; -68.44889 (Apex)[34]) from Iqaluit's centre and is known in Inuktitut asNiaqunngut. It is located on a small peninsula separating Koojesse Inlet from Tarr Inlet. There is a women's shelter, a church, a primary school (Nanook Elementary School), a design shop and abed and breakfast in the community. Apex was where most Inuit lived when Iqaluit was a military site and off-limits to anyone not working at the base.
Much of Iqaluit's architecture is functional—designed to minimize material costs, while retaining heat and withstanding the climate. Early architecture runs from the 1950s military barracks of the originalDEW line installation, through the 1970s white hyper-modernistfibreglass block of theNakasuk School and Municipal Offices and Arena, to the lines of the steel-reinforced concrete high-rise complex on the hill above it. A number of olderHudson's Bay Company (HBC) and early 1950s buildings have been retained and restored in Apex (the former nursing station has been revived as the Rannva Bed and Breakfast, the HBC buildings as an art gallery). The newer buildings are more colourful and diverse, and closer to the norms of southern architecture.
The principal exception is theNunavut Legislative Assembly Building, which is remarkable for its colourful interior, adorned with some of the very best in Inuit art. A new legislative building is in planning to be developed and built outside the city on the Apex Road.
Another distinctive building isSt. Jude's Anglican Cathedral, see of theAnglican Diocese of The Arctic, which is a white building shaped like anigloo. The old St Jude's Cathedral, also in the shape of an igloo, was built in 1972 but arson severely affected the Cathedral structure and interior on 5 November 2005,[35] and it was demolished on 1 June 2006. Its altar was built by the parishioners, under the guidance of Markoosie Peter, a traditional master carpenter. It was shaped like a traditional Inuit sled, and the cross composed of two crossednarwhal tusks.
In December 2010, the exterior of a similarly shaped replacement cathedral was completed, and interior work was planned for 2011 with a potential opening for Christmas 2011. The current building, informally referred to as the Igloo Cathedral, was opened on 3 June 2012. The unique building, in the shape of an igloo, has traditionally been a landmark and tourist attraction in Iqaluit, besides its important spiritual role for Iqalummiut (people of Iqaluit).
On a ridge overlooking the city is the distinctive blue and whiteInuksuk High School. The school is made up of four square sections joined that give a cloverleaf shape when viewed from the air.
The city is also the location of theNunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, which houses a large collection of Inuit and Arctic objects. The museum is housed in a restored and extended Hudson's Bay Company building, clad in the HBC signature red and white, transported to Iqaluit from its original site on the Apex Beach.
Just west of Iqaluit is theSylvia Grinnell Territorial Park. This park is dominated by the valley of the Sylvia Grinnell River. A small visitor's centre with viewing platform is located on top of a hill overlooking scenic waterfalls, tidal flats and traditional fishing sites.
Nearby on an island near Peterhead Inlet, is theQaummaarviit Territorial Park. It is a site with a long Inuit history and numerous artifacts have been recovered, including the remains of 11 semi-buriedsod houses.
A little farther, across Frobisher Bay, are theKatannilik Territorial Park Reserve and theSoper River, aCanadian Heritage River, forming a park corridor linking Iqaluit along traditional overland travel routes withKimmirut (formerly Lake Harbour). Frobisher Bay extends for almost 110 km (70 mi) to the east, with moderate hills, glaciers and traditional and summer camp sites, opening into theDavis Strait, which divides Nunavut from Greenland.
Iqaluit, like many Nunavut communities, has a volunteer-run annual spring festival. Called Toonik Tyme, it involves a combination of traditional Inuit activities combined with more modern events, while the Alianait Music and Arts Festival is held for a week each 21 June.[36] The festival has attracted Canadian and international artists such asJoshua Haulli,[37]Quantum Tangle,[38]Washboard Hank[39] andNamgar.[40]
In the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics Canada, Iqaluit had a population of 7,429 living in 2,708 of its 3,297 total private dwellings, a change of –4% from its 2016 population of 7,740. With a land area of 51.58 km2 (19.92 sq mi), it had a population density of144.0/km2 (373.0/sq mi) in 2021.[5]
The median value of these dwellings is $376,639, quite a bit higher than the national median at $280,552. The average household has about 2.8 people living in it, and the average family has 1.4 children living at home with them. The median (after-tax) household income in Iqaluit is quite high, $98,921, almost double the national rate at $54,089. The median income for an individual in the city, is also high, $60,688. 5.9 per cent of people (over 15 years old) are either divorced or separated, which is quite a bit lower than the national rate at 8.6 per cent. Also, 53.3 per cent of the population is either married or living with a common law partner.
Iqaluit has quite a young population, the median age of the population is more than 10 years younger than the national rate, 30.1 years old compared to 40.6 years old.
For those over the age of 25:
75.7% are high school educated (15.9% as their highest level of education)
59.8% are post-secondary school educated
24.3% have no certificate, diploma or degree
The2021 census reported thatimmigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 750 persons or 10.3% of the total population of Iqaluit. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were Philippines (195 persons or 26.0%), Cameroon (50 persons or 6.7%), United Kingdom (40 persons or 5.3%), Nigeria (40 persons or 5.3%), Zimbabwe (40 persons or 5.3%), United States of America (35 persons or 4.7%), India (25 persons or 3.3%), Pakistan (20 persons or 2.7%), China (20 persons or 2.7%), Jamaica (20 persons or 2.7%), and Ethiopia (20 persons or 2.7%).[5]
As of 2016, Iqaluit has the most Inuit in both numbers (3,900) and percentages (59.1 per cent), of all Canadian cities with populations greater than 5,000.[50][51]
Panethnic groups in the City of Iqaluit (2001–2021)
There is no "majoritymother tongue" in Iqaluit, as 45.4 per cent reported their mother tongue as being English, and 45.4 per cent also reported their mother tongue asInuktitut. English is spoken by 97.2 per cent of Iqaluit residents, however, whereas only 53.1 per cent can speak Inuktitut. French was the mother tongue of 4.8 per cent of the population, which is the same figure of the population who can speak the language. As of 2012, "Pirurvik, Iqaluit's Inuktitut language training centre, has a new goal: to train instructors from Nunavut communities to teach Inuktitut in different ways and in their own dialects when they return home."[56]
Nakasuk School is one of six publicly funded schools in the city.Nunatta Sunakkutaangit MuseumJoamie Ilinniarvik School
TheQikiqtani School Operations based inPond Inlet operates five schools in the area. Nanook Elementary School, located in Apex, Nakasuk School and Joamie Ilinniarvik School offer kindergarten to grade 5. Aqsarniit Ilinniarvik School offers grades 6 to 8 andInuksuk High School offers grades 9 to 12.[57]
Emergency services (fire and ambulance) are provided by city from a single station on Niaqunngusiariaq.[59]
The emergency services fleet consists of:
1 engine
1 ladder
2 staff vehicles
3 ambulances
Iqaluit Airport Emergency Services is responsible for fire services at the airport. Following a fire at the airport in 1998, the Government of Nunavut re-opened the fire station at the airport.[60] Their fleet consists of:
Policing in Iqaluit, as with the rest of Nunavut, is contracted to theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) V Division[61] and the city is home to the divisional headquarters.[62]
Iqaluit also has a Municipal Enforcement Service that enforces local city bylaws. The services include handling of noise and traffic violations and animal control.
Qikiqtani General Hospital is the primary care facility in the city. The local public health office also provides primary care services like STI screening and tuberculosis related services. Two dental clinics exist in the city.
Iqaluit features two arenas, theArctic Winter Games Arena and Arnaitok, the Iqaluit Aquaplex, a curling rink,Timmianut Pikiuqarvik, an eighteen holedisc golf course, the Frobisher Inn Fitness Centre, in the W.G. Brown Building /Astro Hill Complex,[63] a golf course, outdoor basketball courts, soccer nets, seasonal outdoor ice rinks, a shooting range, a skatepark, and more.[64]
The city's infrastructure is stressed by growth and lack of means to upgrade. Waste from the city is disposed of into an open air dump on Akilliq Drive (West 40) located south of the city.[65]
Although the city has water treatment facilities, raw sewage from the city is often dumped untreated into nearbyFrobisher Bay.[65]
As the dump has reached capacity, the city plans to open a second dump 9 km (5.6 mi) north of the city.[66] Iqaluit does not have a recycling program in place; all recyclable materials are sent into the waste stream.
In October 2021, residents of Iqaluit, experienced a water crisis when their tap water was found to be contaminated with fuel. The contamination was traced to a decades-old underground fuel tank that had leaked into the city's water supply.[67] The crisis led to a state of emergency, with residents relying on bottled water and water from nearby rivers for drinking, cooking, and other daily needs.[68] The situation highlighted the challenges of providing safe and reliable water services in remote and Arctic communities.[69]
Iqaluit is the smallest Canadian capital in terms of population, and the only capital that is not connected to other settlements by a highway. Located on an island remote from the Canadian highway system, Iqaluit is generally only accessible by aircraft and, subject to ice conditions, by boat.
Iqaluit Airport is a modern facility with a runway long enough for most modernjet aircraft. A new, larger passenger terminal building north of the old terminal was completed in 2018.
A deep sea port opened in Iqaluit in July 2023, after five years of construction.[72][73] The port features a dredged fixed dock, mooring space, a cargo laydown area, an all-tide barge ramp, and a fuel manifold.[74]
Initial plans for the port included facilities for a vehicle ferry connection toHappy Valley-Goose Bay,Newfoundland and Labrador, however these plans were dropped due to high cost.[75] Experienced locals also cross theHudson Strait from the Canadian mainland when it freezes over, either on foot or bydog sled orsnowmobile, a distance of over 100 km (62 mi).
Iqaluit has a local road system that does not extend far beyond the city limits. During the winter, remote areas near the city are only accessible bysnowmobiles,dog sled, or foot.
Iqaluit has a local road system only stretching from the nearby community ofApex to theSylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, 1 km (0.62 mi) west of town. Iqaluit has no public transportation, although there is citywide taxi service.Iqaluit Public Transit used to offer bus service in the city, but the service was cancelled due to low ridership. Motor cars are increasing in number, to the extent of causing occasional traffic jams known locally as "the rush minute". The cost of shipping automobiles and the wear-and-tear of the harshArctic climate combined with its notoriously rough roadways mean that snowmobiles remain the preferred form of personal transportation.All-terrain vehicles are also common in most of theCanadian Arctic. Snowmobiles are used to travel within the city and in the surrounding area. In winter,dog sleds are still used, but primarily for recreation. In winter, the nearbyQaummaarviit Territorial Park and the more remoteKatannilik Territorial Park Reserve are only accessible by snowmobile, dog sled or foot. In the summer, both are accessible by boat. Most major roads within Iqaluit are paved with asphalt, but local and smaller roads aregravel. Roads do not have traffic signals, but use stop signs to control intersections.
Residents and businesses identify their locations mostly by building number, and occasionally by the name of a prominent structure. Residents know where in the city certain series of building numbers are located; numbers tend to be aggregated in blocks, so someone might say that they live in the 2600s. Around 2003, street names were developed, although there were delays in finalizing them and posting the signs. Street numbers have not been assigned, and building numbers continue to be used. Iqaluit is the only Canadian capital city not to havetraffic signals,[76] although some have been installed on a temporary basis.[77]
Offices for theNunatsiaq News. Nunatsiaq News is one of two weekly newspapers that circulate in Iqaluit.Harbour viewHarbour view
Landline services in Iqaluit (established in 1958 byBell Canada) and throughout northern Canada (established byNorthwestel in five western Nunavut communities, and by Bell Canada elsewhere in Nunavut), are provided since 1992 by Northwestel.[78]
Internet service is available through Northwestel, Ice Wireless, Qiniq (SSi Canada),Starlink and Meshnet.[82] Meshnet Community WiFi is a free community WiFi and paid service available in most areas of the city. Free services include access toIsuma.tv, and many other resources.
Abe Okpik, politician, worked onProject Surname to obtain family names for Inuit rather thandisc numbers and first Inuk to sit (appointed) on what is now the NWT Legislative Assembly[86][87]
Dennis Patterson, politician, former MLA and Premier of the NWT (prior to division), former Canadian Senator for Nunavut
Bryan Pearson, politician, former MLA, first mayor of Iqaluit, businessman
Ed Picco, politician, former MLA in NWT and Nunavut
^"Frobisher Bay / Iqaluit Community History".Government of Nunavut. Retrieved7 November 2025.The first community council in Frobisher Bay was formed in 1964, with a population of approximately 900.
^abc"Iqaluit A".Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment and Climate Change Canada. 31 October 2011. Climate ID: 2402590.Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved24 February 2014.
^"The Treeline in Canada"(PDF). NWT Department of Education, Culture and Employment.Archived(PDF) from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved10 February 2015.
^Edgar, Courtney (11 December 2018)."Christmas trees can grow in Iqaluit".Nunatsiaq News. Nortext Publishing Corporation.Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved26 April 2020.
^Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 October 2021)."Census Profile, 2016 Census".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved15 January 2023.
^Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 November 2015)."NHS Profile".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved15 January 2023.
^Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (20 August 2019)."2006 Community Profiles".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved15 January 2023.
^Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2 July 2019)."2001 Community Profiles".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved15 January 2023.
Baffin Regional Health Board (Nunavut), and Health Needs Assessment Project (Nunavut).Iqaluit Community Profile. Iqaluit, Nunavut?: Health Needs Assessment Project, Baffin Regional Health Board?, 1994.
Eno, Robert V.Crystal Two: The Origin of Iqaluit. Arctic. 2003.
Hodgson, D. A. Quaternary geology of western Meta Incognita Peninsula and Iqaluit area, Baffin Island, Nunavut. Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada, 2005.ISBN0-660-19405-8
Kublu, Alexina, and Mélanie Gagnon.Inuit Recollections on the Military Presence in Iqaluit. Memory and history in Nunavut, v. 2. Iqaluit, N.W.T.: Nunavut Arctic College, 2002.ISBN1-896204-54-6
Newbery, Nick.Iqaluit gateway to Baffin. Iqaluit, NT: Published for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 4, Iqaluit by Nortext Pub. Co, 1995.ISBN1-55036-452-9
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