What is Nunavut?
April 1st, 1999 was a date of historical importance to all of Canada, but to the Inuit in particular. It is the first time in North America that aboriginal peoples have formed their own Territory and created their own elected government with law-making powers similar to those of the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
Nunavut means “our land” in Inuktitut, the native language of the Inuit (once known as Eskimos). The Nunavut Territory was created in 1999 to recognize the traditional homeland of the Inuit who have lived here for millennia. The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, which created the territory, was the result of decades of negotiations between Canadian Inuit and the Government of Canada. Formerly part of the Northwest Territories, the expanse of Nunavut stretches across Canada’s eastern and central Arctic, nearly two million square kilometres of land and water comprising about one-fifth of the area of Canada. The territory’s size, slightly larger than Mexico, and characteristics make it an incredibly unique cultural and environmental region Nunavut’s approximately 30,000 residents (about 85 per cent Inuit) live in 27 remote communities separated by some of the last untouched wilderness areas on the planet. Nunavut’s capital and its largest community, Iqaluit, has a population of about 6,000.
