What do you know about Nunavut? When preparing for life in Canada, you may need to know more about the provinces and territories. Here are some facts to help you get to know this newest territory. A fact of interest is that it is the least populated of the provinces and territories that make up Canada.
As the most northerly territory of Canada, Nunavut is also the newest. In 1999, an act called the Nunavut Act separated it from the Northwest Territories. It was the first major change to the map of Canada since Newfoundland become a province in 1949. The capital city of Nunavut is Iqaluit.
Located north of Manitoba as well as north of Quebec, Nunavut is west of Greenland and is made up of a series of islands. To the east lies Hudson Bay, while to the west are the Northwest Territories.
Who lives there?
It has a population of a bit above 33,300 people, living in 25 communities. As the original inhabitants, the Inuit population has lived there for thousands of years. Today they make up 85 percent of the peoples of Nunavut. Traditional life and a heritage of unique values play an important part of life in Nunavut today.
In addition to the Inuit Language (Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun) sometimes called Inuktut, English and French are also official languages that are spoken in Nunavut.
What kind of temperatures could I expect there?
As far as temperatures go, summer in Iqaluit can be as warm as 80 °F or 26.7°C. On the other hand, lows can be −49.0°F or −45.0°C. These are the extremes. The climate is known as a Tundra climate. Most of the rain is in summer.
Did you know that there are no sidewalks in Nunavut?
The economy
Some of the sectors of the economy in Nunavut include the following:
- Tourism
- Transportation
- Energy
- Mining
Tourism has benefited from Inuit art, which is collected today. Some of the residents of Nunavut have been artists with an important following, and many collectors live in the U.S. Sculpture is especially popular among the artists. Most of the tourism is from those who live in the territories and others who visit for the outdoor activities and polar bears. Spectacular glaciers and fjords can be seen as well as an abundance of bears.
Energy and mining are important today. Mining for gold has brought large companies to Nunavut to form explorations. Projects, such as the Hope Bay Mine, plan to mine gold along the Hope Bay region.
Nunavut is seeking to expand its renewable energy, as the effects of global warming is being felt in the Arctic Circle as well as in other areas.
You can find out more about Nunavut living for skilled workers. One benefit of living here is that there is education and healthcare for all residents of Nunavut.
If migrating to Canada, or to historic and scenic Nunavut, interests you, contact us for more information. We can help you learn about immigration to Canada and making one of the provinces or territories your new home.