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| Nunavut |
|
|
Motto:
Nunavut Sannginivut
(Inuktitut:
Nunavut our strength or Our
land our strength) |
 |
| Official
Languages |
Inuktitut,
Inuinnaqtun,
English,
French |
| Flower |
Purple Saxifrage |
| Tree |
|
| Bird |
Rock
Ptarmigan |
| Capital |
Iqaluit |
| Largest city |
Iqaluit |
Area
Total
- Land
- Water (%
of total) |
2,093,190 km˛
1,936,113 km˛
157,077 km˛ (7.5%) |
| Time
Zone |
UTC-5,
UTC-6,
UTC-7 |
Not to be confused with Nunavik,
a region in northern Quebec.
Nunavut is the largest and newest
of the territories of Canada. It
was separated officially from the
vast Northwest Territories on April
1, 1999 via the Nunavut Act and
the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement
Act, though the actual boundaries
were established in 1993. The creation
of Nunavut resulted in the first
major change to Canada's map since
the incorporation of Newfoundland
(including Labrador) in 1949.
The capital, Iqaluit (formerly
Frobisher Bay) on Baffin Island,
in the east, was chosen by the 1995
Nunavut Capital Plebiscite. Other
major communities include Rankin
Inlet and Cambridge Bay. Nunavut
also includes Ellesmere Island to
the north, as well as the eastern
and southern portions of Victoria
Island in the west. Nunavut is both
the least populated and the largest
of the provinces and territorities
of Canada. It has a population of
only 30,782 spread over an area
the size of Western Europe. If Nunavut
were a sovereign nation, it would
be the least densely populated in
the world: Nearby Greenland, for
example, has almost the same area
and twice the population.
Nunavut means 'our land' in Inuktitut,
the language of the Inuit. Its inhabitants
are called Nunavummiut, singular
Nunavummiuq. Along with Inuktitut,
Inuinnaqtun, English, and French
are also official languages.
Geography
The territory covers about 1.9
million square kilometres of land
and water in Northern Canada including
part of the mainland, most of the
Arctic Archipelago, and all of the
islands in Hudson Bay, James Bay,
and Ungava Bay (including the Belcher
Islands) which belonged to the Northwest
Territories. This makes it the fourth
largest subnational entity (statoid)
in the world. If Nunavut were a
country, it would rank 13th in area,
after the Democratic Republic of
the Congo. Nunavut has land borders
with the Northwest Territories on
several islands as well as the mainland,
a border with Manitoba to the south
of the Nunavut mainland, and a tiny
land border with Newfoundland and
Labrador on Killiniq Island. It
also shares an aquatic border with
the provinces of Quebec, Ontario
and Manitoba.
The creation of Nunavut created
Canada's only "four corners",
at the intersection of the boundaries
of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories,
Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, at 60°00'
north, 102°00' west, on the
southern shore of Kasba Lake. This
is not the tourist spot it might
be, as it is extremely remote and
inaccessible, although there is
a marker (albeit an out of date
one) at the point, and some have
made the trek.
Nunavut's vegetation is partially
composed of berries, lichens, Arctic
Willows, moss, tough grass, and
small willow shrubs.
Demographics
As of 2006, Nunavut has a population
of approximately 30,782, of whom
around 85% are native peoples, primarily
Inuit. Nunavut's small and sparse
population makes it unlikely the
territory will be granted provincial
status in the foreseeable future,
although this may change if the
Yukon, which is only marginally
more populous, becomes a province.
It is a commonly-held misconception
that Nunavut is made up of some
of the former regions of the Northwest
Territories, separated in their
entirety. This is not the case;
the dividing line did not follow
region boundaries, although boundaries
have been subsequently finessed
so that three former NWT regions
collectively constitute Nunavut.
They serve as census divisions,
but have no autonomous governments:
* Qikiqtaaluk Region (formerly
"Baffin Region")
* Kivalliq Region (formerly "Keewatin
Region")
* Kitikmeot Region
The former NWT's Baffin region
was entirely transferred to Nunavut.
The former Kitikmeot region is mostly
in Nunavut, except two southwestern
areas and the northwest corner of
Victoria Island. Likewise, the former
Keewatin region is largely in Nunavut,
except a southwestern rectangle.
Fort Smith region and Inuvik region
remain census divisions of the Northwest
Territories. A small right triangle
of the former Fort Smith region
is in Nunavut now, while none of
the Inuvik region was transferred
to Nunavut.
The aforementioned regional divisions
are distinct from the district system
of dividing the Northwest Territories
that dated to 1876 and was abolished
when Nunavut was created. Nunavut
encompasses the entirety of the
old District of Keewatin (which
had differing boundaries from the
Keewatin/Kivalliq regions), the
majority of the District of Franklin
and a small portion of the District
of Mackenzie.
Government
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 the Queen of
Canada, a role roughly analogous
to representing the Crown has accrued
to the position.
The members of the unicameral legislative
assembly are elected individually;
there are no parties and the legislature
is consensus-based.[8] The head
of government, the premier of Nunavut,
is elected by, and from the members
of the legislative assembly.
The territory's first legislature
was dissolved on January 16, 2004,
with an election shortly thereafter.
See Nunavut general election, 2004.
As of this writing, Nunavut is in
its second government.
Faced by criticism of his policies,
Premier Paul Okalik set up an advisory
council of eleven elders, whose
function it is to help incorporate
"Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit"
(Inuit culture and traditional knowledge,
often referred to in English as
"IQ") into the territory's
political and governmental decisions.
The territory has an annual budget
of $700 million CAD, provided almost
entirely by the federal government.
Former Prime Minister Paul Martin
designated support for Northern Canada
as one of his priorities for 2004,
with an extra $500 million to be divided
among the three territories.
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