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Total Population of
Nunavut: 28,000
Inuit Population of Nunavut: 24,000
Land Mass: 1,900,000 square km
Population per square kilometer: 0.01
Languages spoken: Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, English, French |
Nunavut Flag --
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When the Northwest Territories (NWT) was formed in 1870, it made up about
two-thirds of Canada. The Provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan as well
as the Yukon Territories were all created from its land. The remaining
region was cut roughly in half leaving the Northwest Territories and forming
Nunavut out of NWT's eastern half. In Inuktitut, the Inuit
native language, Nunavut means "our land."
The arctic is one of the world's harshest livable environments. It was
most likely the last part of the world that humans were able to colonize.
The original in habitants of northern Canada were nomads, people who moved from
place to place several times a year to take advantage of the food, water, game,
or other resources only available in a particular place during a particular
season. Today, the native people of the Canadian arctic call
themselves Inuit (INN-yoo-it), which means the people. Theirs is a culture
closely tied to the rhythms of nature. |
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Nunavut
Territorial Motto
"Nunavut
Sanginivut"
Inuktitut, means
"Nunavut, our strength."
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Territotial Flower:
Purple Saxifrage |
The Inuit have struggled desperately to retain hold on to their identity despite
countless sufferings. Many historical documents show the well adapted
Inuit helping many ill prepared Europeans. In return, the Inuit were
exploited and mistreated; forgotten and abused. Much of their unique
culture was plagued by poor economic conditions, epidemics, and shortages of
wildlife by the mid 1900's. During the post World War II era, villages and
families were uprooted and moved.
The following decades brought a series of official grievances presented by the native Inuit
against the Canadian government. The idea of self-government became a
possibility as negotiations with legislators gained momentum. Outcomes
from vital court cases also provided a future of hope. On April 1, 1999,
the map of Canada was forever changed when the Nunavut Territory (an area three
times larger than Texas) emerged in the eastern arctic. The long struggle
for recognition had ended and a new era of modern government coupled with
traditional Inuit values begun. Today, Nunavut stands poised as role
model, ready to lead.
Appearing to the outsider as a bleak and frozen landscape, the land of Nunavut is hardly empty.
Quite the opposite, it is an area teeming with wildlife. This
unique ecosystem is home to caribou, polar bears, seals, whales, some of the
world's greatest fishers, and much more. The vast expanse of land and
water in Nunavut encompasses thousands of square miles; however amazingly
enough, few people know about this fascinating, environmentally significant place. |
Territorial
Bird: Rock Ptarmigan |
Inuktitut
Alphabet
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Territorial
License Plate |
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