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Imagine a strip of coastline with offshore islands the size of California and an interior dotted with lakes that don't even have names. Nunavut, one of Canada's three territories, is a fledgling tourist destination. It has a smattering of towns with not a single traffic light among them, and in many places the wildlife outnumber the people.

Nunavut is an Inuit word that means "our land." The territory was born out of the Northwest Territories in 1999 after the Inuit, a Native American tribe that has inhabited Canada's far north for centuries, successfully fought to win the world's largest land claim. Now in control of their homeland, the Inuit have established a territorial government in the capital Iqaluit, built new schools and roads and gained control of the region's vast natural resources. The Inuit have a relaxed relationship with other Canadians. In Nunavut, ethnic differences take a backseat to more practical concerns such as the health of the seal population and the bitterly cold climate.

The Canadian Arctic is one of the most sparsely populated regions in the world, and it supports an abundance of healthy wildlife. Caribou, musk ox, seals, whales, polar bears and a multitude of birds make Nunavut an alluring destination for hunters and nature enthusiasts. It's not a place for the casual tourist, however. Nunavut's extreme climate, inevitable transportation delays and high expenses limit the territory to only well-prepared travelers. Most visitors make use of Inuit-guided expeditions. Those who do make the trip are rewarded with extraordinary experiences in an untouched land.

Geography

Nunavut spreads across the top of the North American continent. Its borders extend from the Northwest Territories in the west through to the Atlantic Ocean in the east (Greenland is less than 10 mi/16 km from Nunavut). The territory reaches south to the Hudson Bay and north to Ward Hunt Island.

The enormous expanse of Nunavut contains several terrains. The eastern and northern sections encompass hundreds of islands of varying sizes. The largest of these is Baffin Island, where glaciated peaks rise 6,600 ft/2,050 m above fjords cutting deeply into the land. The western portion of the territory is flatter, dominated by tundra and shallow lakes.

History

The Inuit have inhabited present-day Nunavut for at least 5,000 years. For most of that time they were nomadic people, spending summers fishing and hunting sea mammals and caribou. They moved with the seasons and had no permanent settlements.

Some of the first Europeans to see the region were part of the expedition led by Sir Martin Frobisher in 1576. Frobisher landed on southern Baffin Island at a bay that now bears his name. Although some attempts at settlement were made, it wasn't until the 1800s that fur traders began to live and hunt in the region.

In 1888, the Hudson Bay Company, which had been managing the region, turned it over to newly confederated Canada. During that time, large numbers of the native population died from epidemics introduced by outsiders. After territorial boundaries were established in the early 1900s, the responsibility of governance was handed over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Eventually, administration was passed to a representative civilian government.

Beginning in the 1950s, the Inuit underwent a major change in lifestyle. Widespread starvation struck the far northern part of the territories, caused in part by a disease that infected many of the Canadian huskies that the Inuit depended on for transportation and hunting. To combat the problem, the Canadian government relocated the Inuit into villages. Nomadic hunters were suddenly made stationary, and many became dependent on government assistance.

In the early 1990s, an agreement was reached between the Inuit and the government of Canada to create the new territory of Nunavut. On 1 April 1999, the Nunavut Act created a new territory and settled a land claim made by the Inuit. As part of the settlement, Nunavut retains control of territorial schools and other jurisdictions—privileges other Canadian territories do not have. To reflect the demographics of the local population, at least 85% of the territorial government must be staffed by Inuit. Signs are written both in English and Inuktitut, the Inuit language. A substantial financial settlement was also included in the agreement. The Inuit use the additional provisions to better preserve their culture while existing as a part of Canada.

Snapshot

The main attractions of Nunavut are Inuit culture, arctic wildlife, dramatic arctic landscapes, fjords, hunting, fishing, the northern lights and vast, unpopulated areas.

Hardy travelers who can tolerate very cold weather, transportation delays and few luxuries will enjoy Nunavut. Travelers unaccustomed to spending much of their vacation outdoors, or those who crave urban entertainment and modern conveniences, will be better off elsewhere.

Potpourri

Inuit is the term for three or more members of the tribe. One person is an Inuk, and two people are Inuuk. Other common words in Inuktitut (the Inuit language) are qallunaat (KA-bloo-na), white people; nanuq (NA-nook), polar bear; and aput (A-put), snow.

There are no street names in Iqaluit. Instead, buildings are identified by numbers left over from the town's days as a U.S. military base.

Nunavut's population density is one person per 39 sq mi/100 sq km. In Germany, a country one-sixth the size of Nunavut, the population density is 22,000 people per 39 sq mi/100 sq km.

The multicolored northern lights can be seen throughout Nunavut September-March.

The Inuit women of Baker Lake have developed an astonishing vocal technique. Baker Lake throat singers can sing two tones simultaneously. It's an eerie and marvelous sound.

The presence of polar explorer Roald Amundsen can be felt in numerous arctic coastal villages, where he stopped in search of the Northwest Passage on his 1903-06 journey. At Cambridge Bay, the transportation and administrative center of the Kitikmeot region, you'll find the remains of his ship, the Maud. At Gjoa Haven, the only community on King William Island, the Northwest Passage Interpretive Trail details Amundsen's contributions to the search.

Inukshuks are strange monolithic statues created by the Inuit. The stacked rocks are shaped like humans (the word means "in the form of a person") and are as mysterious looking as the famous stone heads on Easter Island.