Nunavut
Sourced from Wikivoyage. Text is available under the CC-by-SA 3.0 license.
Nunavut is a territory in northern Canada which contains Canada's northernmost lands. With only 37,000 inhabitants, Nunavut covers a land area larger than Mexico, divided between mainland North America and an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.
Most of the people there are part of an indigenous group called the Inuit. They have historically been called Eskimos, but this word is no longer used in Canada, and may be considered offensive by some. Also, many people mistakenly call individual people Inuit; the singular is Inuk ("he is Inuk" vs "they are Inuit").
Cities
The Inuktitut name is in italics.
- – capital and largest settlement of Nunavut (Note: don't spell it "Iqualuit")
- (Pangniqtuuq) – Gateway to the Auyuittuq National Park
- (Qausuittuq) - On the shore of Resolute Bay. The second-most northern community in the world and a cultural tourist attraction. Flights available to Resolute on Cornwallis Island can be taken from Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet.
- (Kangiqliniq)
Other destinations
- – the world's northernmost settlement
- (Qikiqtaaluk) – Canada's largest island, in the eastern portion of the territory of Nunavut
- (Inuit: Umingmak Nuna, "land of muskoxen")
- – the land nearest the geomagnetic north pole, which used to pass through the island.
- (Inuit: Tatlurutit) – the world's largest deserted island... with a cemetery, the northernmost in the world
- on Bathurst Island
- on Ellesmere Island
- on Baffin Island
- near Repulse Bay
Understand
Until the end of World War II, when the Canadian government began to realize its strategic importance, the Canadian far north was seen as a barren and desolate place, inhabited by indigenous peoples and containing vast mineral resources that had (and have) yet to be exploited. In 1982, after much debate and argument, it was decided to divide the Northwest Territories into two parts, one called Nunavut and the other retaining the name "Northwest Territories". On April 1, 1999, Nunavut came into existence.
Nunavut means our land in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. The official languages are English, French, Inuktitut, and Innuinaqtun.
It is one of the most sparsely populated regions of the world. The immense territory includes most of Canada's Arctic Islands, from Baffin Island in the territory's southeast, where the capital Iqaluit is located, to Ellesmere Island a few hundred kilometres from the North Pole. The territory also includes all of the islands in Hudson Bay.
Nunavut means our land in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. The official languages are English, French, Inuktitut, and Innuinaqtun.
It is one of the most sparsely populated regions of the world. The immense territory includes most of Canada's Arctic Islands, from Baffin Island in the territory's southeast, where the capital Iqaluit is located, to Ellesmere Island a few hundred kilometres from the North Pole. The territory also includes all of the islands in Hudson Bay.
Talk
==Get in==
Access is only by air - there is no road or rail from the south, and consequently prices are rather expensive owing to the difficulty of shipping goods in. Cargo vessels do make the trip up to Iqaluit by sea in the summer months, but there are no passenger vessels that ply these routes.
Get around
In the smaller communities (less than 3,000), ATVs and trucks are used during the short summer (when there is no snow).
In the winter, snowmobiles are the main way of getting around. Dog sleds are also used but owning and maintaining a dog team can be a very costly endeavour. Getting to and from the different communities can only be done by air; there are no roads linking the different population centres in the territory.
In the winter, snowmobiles are the main way of getting around. Dog sleds are also used but owning and maintaining a dog team can be a very costly endeavour. Getting to and from the different communities can only be done by air; there are no roads linking the different population centres in the territory.
Eat
Some towns may offer small restaurants or coffee shops.
Try some traditional Inuit food, such as raw seal meat. For many Inuit, hunting is still the primary way of acquiring food, so many northern foods such as Arctic char and caribou meat can be bought from local hunters and cooked.
The main grocers are Co-op and Northern, a common grocery for Northern Territories. Because all food must be shipped in from planes, be prepared to pay unusually high prices for perishables, such as milk, fruit, and vegetables.
Try some traditional Inuit food, such as raw seal meat. For many Inuit, hunting is still the primary way of acquiring food, so many northern foods such as Arctic char and caribou meat can be bought from local hunters and cooked.
The main grocers are Co-op and Northern, a common grocery for Northern Territories. Because all food must be shipped in from planes, be prepared to pay unusually high prices for perishables, such as milk, fruit, and vegetables.
Drink
In many places in Nunavut there is a local law prohibiting all alcohol. Given the high rates of addiction and suicide in many places, communities have felt the need to adopt this extreme position. Do not bring any alcohol into an officially dry community, as you can exacerbate the local problems with alcohol abuse and even cause a person's death.
In other communities, local bars are permitted to operate. There are no local liquor stores outside Iqaliut; a warehouse in each of Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit will ship hard liquor outside the community but this must be ordered in advance.
In other communities, local bars are permitted to operate. There are no local liquor stores outside Iqaliut; a warehouse in each of Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit will ship hard liquor outside the community but this must be ordered in advance.
Stay safe
There is no 9-1-1 emergency number in Nunavut. Use the local seven-digit numbers to reach individual emergency services in each community.
==Go next==
==Go next==