Nunavut Attractions

km (733,400 sq. mi.), Nunavut is almost eight times the size of the United Kingdom and comprises roughly one fifth of the total area of Canada. Its southern border is the 60th parallel, while in the north it extends to within about 800 km (500 mi.) of the North Pole. Most of the Territory is situated north of the tree line, in a region of predominantly treeless tundra with dwarf shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichens.

The greater part of mainland Nunavut consists of the Keewatin District (altitude 400-500 m (1313-1640 ft)), a vast area dotted with thousands of lakes. To the north and northeast of Hudson Bay, the huge Baffin Island and little Bylot Island form the continental rim of the North American landmass. Immediately west lie a group of generally flat islands. Typical of these Arctic regions are fiords cutting deep inland and extensive glacial fields.

Climate

Winter temperatures of below 230°C (222°F) are recorded in all parts of Nunavut. By contrast, during the brief summer, temperatures can exceed 18°C (64°F) in the vicinity of some of the lakes. With the long winter merging almost imperceptibly into the abbreviated summer, the lakes of the Keewatin District can be frozen solid even as the air temperature reaches 20°C (68°F) or more. North of the Arctic Circle the summer sun shines almost round the clock, while in winter the region is enveloped in the seemingly endless darkness of the polar night. Because Hudson Bay remains frozen well into spring, temperatures there are comparatively low even in summer.

History

Although Nunavut only came into existence as a Territory on April 1st 1999, it already boasts a certain historical development. Up until the 1970s its history coincided with that of the Northwest Territories, but in the first half of the decade the Inuit laid claim for the first time to a land of their own. The Inuit organization "Inuit Tapirisat of Canada" began pressing for the creation of a new Territory of Nunavut in 1976. In a referendum on the issue held in 1982, more than 50 per cent of the population of the Northwest Territories voted in favor, and a further plebiscite in 1992 agreed the boundaries proposed. In 1993 the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act was ratified in Iqaluit in the presence of Canada's Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney. That same year the Federal Parliament approved the creation of Nunavut. In 1995 the population chose Iqaluit as the capital. On February 15th the first elections were held for the legislative assembly and on April 1st 1999 Canada's newest administrative Territory, Nunavut, was born.

Population

Approximately 30,000 people live in Nunavut, a density of about 0.013 per sq. km (0.005 per sq. mi.). About one fifth describe themselves as Inuit, approximately 70 per cent of the Inuit population of Canada.

Economy

Thanks to its rich but still largely untapped natural resources, the economic prospects for Nunavut are relatively good. As well as fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, large quantities of gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead and diamonds await extraction. There is also potential for a lucrative fishing and fish farming industry. Prawn and shrimp fishing in particular promise to be highly profitable.

Craft- and handicraft-based businesses have already achieved extraordinary success. Produced mainly in small workshops, the leather goods, jewelry, ivory work etc. have great appeal for tourists throughout Canada. Hence, in addition to meeting the demand from the as yet small number of tourists who visit the Far North, there is a lively "export trade" to the major tourist centers of the Canadian South (including Québec, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Banff, Lake Louise and Vancouver).