Nunavut includesEllesmere Island in the far north, the eastern and southern portions ofVictoria Island in the west, and all islands inHudson,James andUngava bays, including the western portion ofKilliniq Island in the southeast andAkimiski Island far to the south of the rest of the territory. It is Canada's only geopolitical region that is not connected to the rest of North America via thePan-American Highway.[14]
Nunavut is the least densely populated major country sub-division in the world (not considering Antarctica), being even less densely populated than Denmark'sGreenland. With a population of 36,858 as of the2021 Canadian census (up from 35,944 in 2016) consisting mostly of Inuit, and a land massalmost as large as Mexico, Nunavut's land area of 1,836,993.78 km2 (709,267.26 sq mi)[2] has a population density of0.022/km2 (0.056/sq mi).
Nunavut is also home to the world'snorthernmost continuously inhabited place,Alert.[15]Eureka, a weather station on Ellesmere Island, has the lowest average annual temperature of any Canadian weather station.[16]
The region which is now mainland Nunavut was first populated approximately 4,500 years ago by thePre-Dorset, a diversePaleo-Eskimo culture that migrated eastward from theBering Strait region.[17]
The Pre-Dorset culture was succeeded by theDorset culture about 2,800 years ago.[18] Anthropologists and historians believe that the Dorset culture developed from the Pre-Dorset somehow.[18]
Helluland, which Norse explorers described visiting in theirSagas of Icelanders, has been associated with Nunavut'sBaffin Island. Claims of contact between the Dorset and Norse are controversial.[19][20]
TheThule people, ancestors of the modernInuit, began migrating from Alaska in the 11th century into theNorthwest Territories and Nunavut. By 1300, the geographic extent of Thule settlement included most of modern Nunavut.
The migration of the Thule people coincides with the decline of the Dorset.[21] Thule people genetically and culturally completely replaced Dorset some time after 1300.[22]
The earliest written historical account of the area is dated to 1576, an account by English explorerMartin Frobisher. While leading an expedition to find theNorthwest Passage, Frobisher thought he had discovered gold ore around the body of water now known asFrobisher Bay on the coast ofBaffin Island.[23] The ore turned out to be worthless, but Frobisher made the first recorded European contact with the Inuit. Other explorers in search of the elusive Northwest Passage followed in the 17th century, includingHenry Hudson,William Baffin andRobert Bylot.
Forty years later, theRoyal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued a 1994 report titledThe High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953–55 Relocation.[26] The government paid compensation to those affected and their descendants.
Discussions on dividing theNorthwest Territories along ethnic lines began in the 1950s, and legislation to achieve this was introduced in 1963. After its failure, a federal commission recommended against such a measure.[29]
During the 1970s, activism increased among the Inuit,First Nations, andInnu peoples forrecognition of theirforced assimilation. In 1976, as part of the land claims negotiations between theInuit Tapiriit Kanatami (then called the "Inuit Tapirisat of Canada") and the federal government, the parties discussed division of the Northwest Territories to provide a separate territory for the Inuit. On April 14, 1982, aplebiscite on division was held throughout the Northwest Territories. A majority of the residents voted in favour and the federal government gave a conditional agreement seven months later.[30]
A ceremony commemorating the establishment of Nunavut, April 1999
The land claims agreement was completed in September 1992 and ratified by nearly 85% of the voters in Nunavut ina referendum. On July 9, 1993, theNunavut Land Claims Agreement Act[13] and theNunavut Act[12] were passed by theCanadian Parliament. The transition to establish Nunavut Territory was completed on April 1, 1999.[31] On January 18, 2024, the federal and territorial governments signed theNunavut Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement; it gives the government of Nunavut control over the territory's land and resources.[32][33]
In 2020, Nunavut imposed strict travel regulations in order to prevent an outbreak of theCOVID-19 pandemic. The government barred entry to almost all non-residents.[34] On November 6, 2020, Nunavut confirmed its first case inSanikiluaq, having previously been the only place in North America to have had no cases of COVID-19.[35][36]
Nunavut covers 1,836,993.78 km2 (709,267.26 sq mi)[2] of land and 160,930 km2 (62,137 sq mi)[3] of water in Northern Canada. The territory includes a substantial part of the mainland, most of the Arctic Archipelago, and the waters and islands ofHudson Bay,James Bay, andUngava Bay; this includes the distantBelcher Islands andAkimiski Island, which were part of theNorthwest Territories from which Nunavut was separated. This makes it the fifth-largest subnational entity (oradministrative division) in the world. If Nunavut were a country, it would rank 15th in area.[37]
Nunavut has long land borders with the Northwest Territories on the mainland and a few Arctic islands, and withManitoba to the south of the Nunavut mainland; it also meetsSaskatchewan to the southwest at aquadripoint, and has a short land border withNewfoundland and Labrador onKilliniq Island. The boundary with the Northwest Territories roughly approximates thetree line in Canada.[38] Nunavut shares maritime borders with the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba; these run along the shoreline of those provinces to include the entirety of the involved bays under Nunavut jurisdiction, rather than the usual arrangement of running through the middle of a body of water.[39] With Greenland, a constituent country of theDanish Realm, it shares a primarily maritime international border that includes a short land border onHans Island.
Nunavut's highest point isBarbeau Peak (2,616 m (8,583 ft)) on Ellesmere Island. The population density is0.022/km2 (0.056/sq mi), one of the lowest in the world. By comparison, Greenland has approximately the same area and nearly twice the population.[40]
Nunavut experiences apolar climate in most regions, owing to its high latitude and lower continental summertime influence than areas to the west. In more southerly continental areas, very coldsubarctic climates can be found, due to July being slightly milder than the required 10 °C (50 °F).
Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected locations in Nunavut
Nunavut has a population of 36,858 from the2021 Census. In 2021, 30,865 people identified asInuit (84.3% of the total population), 180 asFirst Nations (0.5%), 120 asMétis (0.3%), 230 with multiple or other Indigenous responses (0.6%), and 5,210 as non-Indigenous (14.2%).[52]
The population growth rate of Nunavut has been well above the Canadian average for several decades, mostly due to birth rates significantly higher than the Canadian average—a trend that continues. Between 2011 and 2016, Nunavut had the highest population growth rate of any Canadian province or territory, at a rate of 12.7%.[63] The second-highest was Alberta, with a growth rate of 11.6%. Between 2016 and 2021, the population growth increased by 2.5% (the third lowest), a decrease of 10.2 percentiles from the previous census.[2]
In his 2000 commissioned report (Aajiiqatigiingniq Language of Instruction Research Paper) to the Nunavut Department of Education, Ian Martin ofYork University said that a "long-term threat toInuit languages from English is found everywhere, and current school language policies and practices on language are contributing to that threat" if Nunavut schools follow the Northwest Territories model. He provided a 20-year language plan to create a "fully functional bilingual society, in Inuktitut and English" by 2020.[66][needs update]
The plan provided different models, including:
"Qulliq Model", for most Nunavut communities, with Inuktitut to be the main language of instruction.
"Inuinnaqtun Immersion Model", for language reclamation and immersion to revitalize Inuinnaqtun as a living language.
"Mixed Population Model", mainly for Iqaluit (possibly for Rankin Inlet), where the population is 40%Qallunaat, or non-Inuit, and may have different requirements.[67]
Of the 34,960 responses to the census question concerning "mother tongue" in the 2016 census, the most commonly reported languages in Nunavut were:
At the time of the census, only English and French were counted as official languages. Figures shown are for single-language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.[68]
In the 2016 census it was reported that 2,045 people (5.8%) living in Nunavut had no knowledge of either official language of Canada (English or French).[69] The 2016 census also reported that of the 30,135 Inuit in Nunavut, 90.7% could speak either Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun.[citation needed]
In the 2021 census,Christianity (mainlyAnglicanism) constituted 73.5% of Nunavut's population, down from 86% in the 2011 Census. The percentage of population which is non-religious has grown from 13% in 2011 to 24.9% in 2021 Census. About 1.6% of the population reported another religious affiliation including Aboriginal spirituality, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and others.[70][71]
The economy of Nunavut is driven by the Inuit and Territorial Government, mining, oil, gas, and mineral exploration, arts, crafts, hunting, fishing, whaling, tourism, transportation, housing development, military, research, and education. Currently, one college operates in Nunavut, theNunavut Arctic College, as well as severalArctic research stations located within the territory. The new Canadian High Arctic Research Station CHARS is planning for Cambridge Bay and high north Alert Bay Station.
Iqaluit hosts the annual Nunavut Mining Symposium every April,[72] a tradeshow that showcases the many economic activities ongoing in Nunavut.
Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation, the operator of theMary River Mine, is the territory's largest private sector employer with more than 2,600 workers and accounted for 23 per cent of Nunavut's economic activity in 2019.[73]
TheHope Bay gold mine is one of three major mines in the territory.
There are currently three major mines in operation in Nunavut. Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd – Meadowbank Division.Meadowbank Gold Mine is an open pitgoldmine with an estimated mine life 2010–2020 and employs around 680 people.
The second mine in production is theMary River Iron Ore mine on northern Baffin Island, operated by Baffinland Iron Mines, which produces high-grade iron ore for direct export.
The most recent mine to open is Doris North or the Hope Bay Mine operated nearHope Bay Aerodrome by TMAC Resource Ltd. This new high grade gold mine is the first in a series of potential mines in gold occurrences all along theHope Bay greenstone belt.
Rankin Nickel Mine 1957–1962, nickel, copper and platinum group metals
Jericho Diamond Mine 2006–2008, diamond (located 400 km, 250 mi, northeast ofYellowknife) 2012 produced diamonds from existing stockpile. No new mining; closed.
Doris North Gold MineNewmont Mining approx 3 km (2 mi) underground drifting/mining, none milled or processed. Newmont closed the mine and sold it to TMAC Resources in 2013. TMAC has now reached commercial production in 2017.
Nunavut's people rely primarily ondiesel fuel[75] to run generators and heat homes, withfossil fuel shipments from southern Canada by plane or boat because there are few to no roads or rail links to the region.[76][77] There is a government effort to use morerenewable energy sources,[78][79] which is generally supported by the community.[80]
In the second half of 2018 travellers visited Nunavut 134,000 times and spent $436 million. Two-thirds of those visits were by Nunavummiut (residents of Nunavut) travelling within the territory. The remaining came from outside other provinces or territories in Canada, or from abroad and spent $219 million. Travellers from Ontario make up the largest portion of visitors from outside the territory. The majority of visitors from outside of Nunavut are business travellers; in the second half of 2018 only 14% of visitors were in the territory for leisure.[87] Tourism recreation in Nunavut include activities like dog sledding, snowmobiling, cultural festivals, hiking, arctic wildlife safaris and sea kayaking.[88]
The former regional network centre forCBC North in Iqaluit
TheInuit Broadcasting Corporation is based in Nunavut. TheCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) serves Nunavut through a radio and television production centre in Iqaluit, and a bureau in Rankin Inlet. Iqaluit is served by private commercial radio stationsCKIQ-FM andCKGC-FM, both owned by Northern Lights Entertainment Inc. (CKIQ-FM had a rebroadcaster in Rankin Inlet that was discontinued in 2009.)
The National Film Board (NFB) has releasedAnimation from Cape Dorset (1973),[90] a "collection assembles the first animated films to be made by Inuit artists at the NFB. Featured is work by Solomonie Pootoogook, Timmun Alariaq, Mathew Joanasie, and Itee Pootoogook Pilaloosie—all participants in the Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset) Film Animation Workshop on Baffin Island."
In November 2006, theNational Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation announced the start of the Nunavut Animation Lab, offering animation training to Nunavut artists at workshops in Iqaluit, Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung.[91] Films from the Nunavut Animation Lab includeAlethea Arnaquq-Baril's 2010 digital animation shortLumaajuuq, winner of the Best Aboriginal Award at theGolden Sheaf Awards and named Best Canadian Short Drama at theimagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.[92]
In November 2011, the Government of Nunavut and the NFB jointly announced the launch of a DVD and online collection entitledUnikkausivut (Inuktitut:Sharing Our Stories), which will make over 100 NFB films by and about Inuit available in Inuktitut,Inuinnaqtun and other Inuit languages, as well as English and French. The Government of Nunavut is distributingUnikkausivut to every school in the territory.[93][94]
Artcirq is a collective of Inuit circus performers based in Igloolik.[95] The group has performed around the world, including at the2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The members of theunicameralLegislative Assembly of Nunavut are elected individually; there areno parties and the legislature isconsensus-based.[99] The head of government, thepremier of Nunavut, is elected by and from the members of the legislative assembly. Theexecutive council, which includes the premier and eight ministers, is also elected by the Legislative Assembly from among the Assembly members. On June 14, 2018,Joe Savikataaq was elected as the premier, after his predecessorPaul Quassa lost a non-confidence motion.[100][101] FormerpremierPaul Okalik set up an advisory council of eleven 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.[102]
Due to the territory's small population, and the fact that there are only a few hundred voters in each electoral district, the possibility of two election candidates finishing in an exact tie is significantly higher than in any Canadian province. This has actually happened twice in the five elections to date, with exact ties inAkulliq in the2008 Nunavut general election and inRankin Inlet South in the2013 Nunavut general election. In such an event, Nunavut's practice is to schedule a follow-upby-election rather than choosing the winning candidate by an arbitrary method. The territory has also had numerous instances where MLAs were directlyacclaimed to office as the only person to register their candidacy by the deadline, as well as one instance where a follow-up by-election had to be held due to no candidates registering for the regular election in their district at all.
Owing to Nunavut's vast size, the stated goal of the territorial government has been to decentralize governance beyond the region's capital. Threeregions—Kitikmeot,Kivalliq andQikiqtaaluk (formerly Baffin)—are the basis for more localized administration, although they lack autonomous governments of their own.[citation needed]
The first design forNunavut's licence plate was originally created for the Northwest Territories in the 1970s. The plate has long been famous worldwide for its unique design in the shape of apolar bear.
Nunavut was licensed by the NWT to use the samelicence plate design in 1999 when it became a separate territory,[106] but adopted its own plate design in March 2012 for launch in August 2012—a rectangle that prominently features the northern lights, a polar bear and aninuksuk.[106][107]
Due to prohibition laws influenced by local and traditional beliefs, Nunavut has a highly regulated alcohol market. The territory is the last outpost of prohibition in Canada, and it is often easier to obtain firearms than alcohol. Alcohol remains prohibited in six communities across the territory: Arivat, Coral Harbour, Goja Haven, Kugaaruk, Pangnirtung and Sanikiluaq.[110] Although every community in Nunavut has slightly differing regulations, as a whole it is still very restrictive. Seven communities have complete bans against alcohol and another 14 have orders being restricted by local committees. Due to these laws, a lucrative bootlegging market has appeared in which people mark up the prices of bottles by extraordinary amounts.[111] The RCMP estimate Nunavut's bootleg liquor market rakes in some $10 million a year.[110]
Despite the restrictions, alcohol's availability leads to widespread alcohol-related crime. One estimation states some 95% of police calls are alcohol-related.[112] Alcohol is also believed to be a contributing factor to the territory's high rates of violence, suicide, and homicide. A special task force created in 2010 to study and address the territory's increasing alcohol-related problems recommended the government ease alcohol restrictions. With prohibition shown to be highly ineffective historically, some believe these laws contribute to the territory's widespread social ills. Others are skeptical about the effectiveness of liquor sale liberalization and want to ban it completely. In 2014, Nunavut's government moved toward more legalization. In 2017, the first liquor store in 38 years opened in Iqaluit.[110]
Nunavut has the highestsmoking rate in all of Canada. More than half of its adult population smoke cigarettes,[113] with both men and women smoking regularly. Some 90% of pregnant women are smokers, although studies have shown it has detrimental effects.[114]
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^Weber, Bob (July 22, 2018)."Ancient Arctic people may have known how to spin yarn long before Vikings arrived".CBC.Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. RetrievedJanuary 2, 2019.Michele Hayeur Smith of Brown University in Rhode Island, lead author of a recent paper in theJournal of Archaeological Science. Hayeur Smith and her colleagues were looking at scraps of yarn, perhaps used to hang amulets or decorate clothing, from ancient sites on Baffin Island and the Ungava Peninsula. The idea that you would have to learn to spin something from another culture was a bit ludicrous," she said. "It's a pretty intuitive thing to do.
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