CANADIAN RELOCATION
NUNAVUT PROFILE

Nunavut: Population (January 1, 2015) 36,702 ; Area: 733,600 square miles (1,900,000 square km)

Nunavut was created in 1999 out of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut encompasses the traditional lands of the Inuit, the indigenous peoples of Arctic Canada; its name means "Our Land" in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit.

The capital is Iqaluit, at the head of Frobisher Bay on southern Baffin Island. Nunavut constitutes the greater part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, including its largest island, Baffin Island.

The territory lies entirely within the Arctic climatic zone, with bitterly cold winters and cool to cold summers. Average daily January temperatures rise above -22º F (-30º C) only in the eastern coastal areas, and in the far north and northwest of Hudson Bay they reach only -31º F (-35º C). Average temperatures in July above 50º F (10ºC) are limited to the area west of Hudson Bay, while in the far north and along the northeastern coast of Baffin Island they do not exceed 41º F (5º C).

Precipitation is scant throughout most of the territory and falls almost entirely as snow. Annual precipitation levels of less than 8 inches (200 mm) gradually increase toward the east; the greatest amounts--more than 24 inches (600 mm)--occur on Bylot Island, just north of Baffin Island. Continuous permafrost underlies virtually the entire territory.

Nunavut's greatest economic asset is its mineral wealth, which includes reserves of iron and nonferrous ores, precious metals and diamonds, and petroleum and natural gas. Exploitation of these resources is hampered, however, by high production costs and transportation difficulties.

The federal government has participated in resource development mainly by providing infrastructure and assisting in the search for minerals. In addition, government agencies produce and distribute electric power throughout the territory.

Mining is the principal industry in the territory. Lead and zinc are mined on Little Cornwallis Island and on Baffin Island near Arctic Bay, while gold deposits are worked on the mainland at Contwoyto Lake, southwest of Bathurst Inlet. Government, however, is the largest source of employment.

Trapping continues to provide income for some Inuit, and fishing and hunting of sea mammals also provides some employment. Arctic char are fished and exported to southern markets from several communities in the eastern Arctic. Seals and small whales are hunted for food, and some sealskins are marketed commercially. Sport fishing and hunting are major attractions for the small but growing number of tourists who visit each year.

Nearly all passenger and much freight traffic is carried by air services. Settlements on the west coast of Hudson Bay and in Keewatin region are connected to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and those in the eastern Arctic are connected to Montreal, Quebec. Surface transportation for heavy freight is mainly by water.

Fuel oil for heating and other bulky supplies are carried to eastern Arctic settlements by seagoing supply ships organized by the federal Department of Transport. Government departments also supply remote villages and military installations along the eastern coastline.

Nunavut's head of state is a Commissioner appointed by the federal Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. As in the other territories, the commissioner's role is symbolic and is analogous to that of a Lieutenant Governor. While the Commissioner is not formally a representative of Canada's head of state, a role roughly analogous to representing The Crown has accrued to the position.

The members of the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Nunavut are elected individually; there are no parties and the legislature is consensus-based. The head of government, the premier of Nunavut, is elected by, and from the members of the legislative assembly.

Law enforcement is carried out by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The federal government controls all natural resources except game on federally owned lands and administers them through its Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

Missionaries provided nearly all the education and health care available in the territories until the 1950s, but since then both have become mainly government responsibilities. The federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development cooperates with the territorial department of education in providing elementary and secondary schooling and in assisting native students to pursue postsecondary education outside the territories. A number of postsecondary programs and courses are offered by Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit. Health care is provided through comprehensive territorial hospital and medical-services insurance plans.

Modern forms of transportation and communication have done much to break down the isolation of life in the north, and contemporary North American popular culture is evident in most communities. Satellite television has made a wide range of entertainment and educational programs available to viewers in even the most remote settlements. Radio stations relay programs throughout the territories, and most of the larger settlements have their own weekly newspapers. Some have local television stations that originate programs for distribution in the territories.

Large areas of the territory are set aside as protected areas, including Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve, Auyuittuo National Park Preserve on Baffin Island, and Queen Maude Gulf Bird Sanctuary and Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary (the latter shared with the Northwest Territories) on the mainland. Many of the elements of the Inuit culture have been preserved. Public policy in the latter decades of the 20th century has encouraged development of Inuit traditions in arts and crafts, providing an important source of income in some Inuit communities and making Inuit culture familiar to collectors worldwide. Broadcasting in Inuktitut is well established, and the written language is gaining in popularity.

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