Iqaluit, Nunavut
Encyclopedia
Iqaluit is the territorial capital and the largest community of the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 territory of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

. Iqaluit is located on the south coast of Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...

 at the head of Frobisher Bay
Frobisher Bay
Frobisher Bay is a relatively large inlet of the Labrador Sea in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island...

. As of the 2006 census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...

 the population was 6,184, an increase of 18.1 percent from the 2001 census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...

; it has the lowest population of any capital city in Canada. Inhabitants of Iqaluit are called Iqalummiut (singular: Iqalummiuq). Prior to 1987 the community was named Frobisher Bay.

History

Iqaluit was founded in 1942 as an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 airbase, geographically located to provide a stop-over and refueling site for short range fighter aircraft being ferried across the Atlantic to support the war effort in Europe. Iqaluit's first permanent inhabitant was Nakasuk
Nakasuk
Nakasuk was an Inuk who was born at a sealing camp near Pangnirtung, Nunavut in the early 20th century and grew up around Kimmirut . He assisted a US Navy party wintering on Baffin Island during the 1941-1942 winter to find a suitable location for a US air base...

, an Inuk
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

 guide who helped American Air Force planners to choose a site with a large flat area suitable for a landing strip. Long regarded as a campsite and fishing spot by the Inuit, the place chosen had traditionally been named Iqaluit – "place of many fish" in Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...

 – but Canadian and American authorities named it Frobisher Bay, after the name of the body of water it abuts.

The Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

 moved its south Baffin operations to the neighbouring valley of Niaqunngut, officially called Apex
Apex, Nunavut
Apex is a small community near Iqaluit located on Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is about southeast of Iqaluit on a small peninsula separating Koojesse Inlet from Tarr Inlet. Historically Apex was the place where most Inuit lived when Iqaluit was a military site and off-limits to anyone...

, in 1949 to take advantage of the airfield. The population of Frobisher Bay increased rapidly during the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...

 (DEW line, a system of radar stations, see North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...

 (NORAD)) in the mid-1950s. Hundreds of construction workers, military personnel, and administrative staff moved into the community, and several hundred Inuit followed to take advantage of the access to medical care and jobs the base provided. In 1957, 489 of the town's 1,200 residents were reported to be Inuit. After 1959, the Canadian government established permanent services at Frobisher Bay, including full-time doctors, a school and social services. The Inuit population grew rapidly in response, as the government encouraged Inuit to settle permanently in communities with government services.

The American military left Iqaluit in 1963, as intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...

s (ICBM) diminished the strategic value of the DEW line and Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...

 airbases, but Frobisher Bay remained the government's administrative and logistical centre for much of the eastern Arctic. In 1964, the first elections were held for a community council, and in 1979 for the first mayor. The founding of the Gordon Robertson Educational Centre, now Inuksuk High School
Inuksuk High School
Inuksuk High School is the high school of Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It offers grades 9 through 12 to a student population of about 450. The focus of the school is on teaching Inuit language and culture. The original name of the school was the Gordon Robertson...

, in the early 1970s at Iqaluit confirmed the government's commitment to the community as an administrative centre. At the time of its founding, it was the sole high school operating in more than one-seventh of Canadian territory.

On 1 January 1987, the name of this municipality was officially changed from "Frobisher Bay" to "Iqaluit" - aligning official usage with the name that the Inuit population had always used (although, many documents still referred to Iqaluit as Frobisher Bay for several years after 1987). In December 1995, Iqaluit was selected to serve as Nunavut's future capital in a territory-wide referendum, in which it was chosen over Rankin Inlet. On 19 April 2001 it was officially redesignated as a city.

Iqaluit was designated by Canada as the host city for the 2010 meeting of the G7 finance ministers, held on 5–6 February. The meeting strained the northern communications technology infrastructure.

Timeline

  • 1576 - Englishman Martin Frobisher
    Martin Frobisher
    Sir Martin Frobisher was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage...

     sails into Frobisher Bay believing he has found the route to China
    China
    Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

    . First Anglican/Episcopalian church service in North America.
  • 1861 - Charles Francis Hall
    Charles Francis Hall
    Charles Francis Hall was an American Arctic explorer. Little is known of Hall's early life. He was born in the state of Vermont, but while he was still a child his family moved to Rochester, New Hampshire, where, as a boy, he was apprenticed to a blacksmith. In the 1840s he married and drifted...

    , an American, camps at the Sylvia Grinnell River and explores the waters of Koojesse Inlet, which he names after his Inuit guide
  • 1942 - U.S. Army Air Forces
    United States Army Air Forces
    The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

     selects Iqaluit’s current location as the site of a major air base
  • 1949 - The HBC moves its trading post from Ward Inlet
    Ward Inlet
    Ward Inlet is a body of water in Nunavut's Qikiqtaaluk Region. It lies in eastern Frobisher Bay, forming a wedge into Baffin Island, separating Becher Peninsula from Hall Peninsula...

     to Apex
  • 1955 - Frobisher Bay becomes the centre for U.S. Canada Dew Line construction operations
  • 1958 - Telephone exchange service established by Bell Canada
    Bell Canada
    Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...

  • 1963 - US military move out of Iqaluit
  • 1964 - First community council formed; population of Frobisher Bay is 900
  • 1970 - Frobisher Bay officially recognized as a Settlement
  • 1974 - Settlement of Frobisher Bay gains village status
  • 1976 - Inuit present the Nunavut proposal to the Federal government
  • 1979 - First mayor elected
  • 1980 - Frobisher Bay designated as a town
  • 1982 - Government of Canada
    Government of Canada
    The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...

     agrees in principle to the creation of Nunavut
  • 1987 - Frobisher Bay officially becomes Iqaluit, reverting to its original Inuktitut name meaning "place of (many) fish"
  • 1993 - The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement
    Nunavut Land Claims Agreement
    The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is a 1993 land claims agreement between the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area and the Government of Canada subject to the Constitution Act of 1982...

     is signed in Iqaluit
  • 1995 - Nunavut residents select Iqaluit as capital of the new territory
  • 1 April 1999 - The Territory of Nunavut officially comes into being
  • 19 April 2001 - Iqaluit receives its order of official status as a city
  • 2002 - Iqaluit, along with Nuuk
    Nuuk
    Nuuk, is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in North America and the largest city in Greenland. Located in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the city lies on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea and on the west coast of Sermersooq. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in...

    , Greenland
    Greenland
    Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...

    , co-host the first jointly hosted Arctic Winter Games
    Arctic Winter Games
    The Arctic Winter Games is an international biennial celebration of circumpolar sports and culture.-Background:The Arctic Winter Games were founded in 1969 under the leadership of Governor Walter J. Hickel of Alaska, Stuart M. Hodgson, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, and Yukon...

    ; the Arctic Winter Games Arena
    Arctic Winter Games Arena
    The Arctic Winter Games Arena is a 2,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. Initially constructed to house the hockey and speed skating events of the 2002 Arctic Winter Games, the Arena is now used as a youth centre and to host large community events.The venue hosted CBC...

     constructed in Iqaluit for event.
  • 5 February 2010 - Iqaluit hosted the finance meeting as part of the 2010 G7 summit.

Geography

Iqaluit is located in the Everett Mountains
Everett Mountains
The Everett Mountains are a mountain range located at Frobisher Bay on southern Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. Nunavut's capital city Iqaluit is protected by the Everett Mountains. The mountain range is a subrange of the Arctic Cordillera.-References:...

 rising from Koojesse (Kuujussi) Inlet, an inlet of Frobisher Bay, on the southeast part of Baffin Island. It is well to the east of Nunavut's mainland, and northeast of Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...

.

Suburbs

Apex
Apex, Nunavut
Apex is a small community near Iqaluit located on Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is about southeast of Iqaluit on a small peninsula separating Koojesse Inlet from Tarr Inlet. Historically Apex was the place where most Inuit lived when Iqaluit was a military site and off-limits to anyone...

 is a small community about 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast (63°43′47"N 068°26′48"W) from Iqaluit's centre and is known in Inuktitut as Niaqunngut. It is located on a small peninsula separating Koojesse Inlet from Tarr Inlet. There is a women's shelter, a church, a store, a primary school, a design shop and a bed−and−breakfast.

Historically Apex was the place where most Inuit lived when Iqaluit was a military site, and as such it was off−limits to anyone not working at the base.

Climate

Iqaluit has a typically Arctic climate
Climate of the Arctic
The climate of the Arctic is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. There is a large amount of variability in climate across the Arctic, but all regions experience extremes of solar radiation in both summer and winter...

, although it is well outside the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....

, with very cold winters and short summers that are too cool to permit the growth of trees. Although it is north of the tree line there are still shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

s that are classed, locally, as trees. They are known as Arctic Willow (Salix arctica). They are hard to recognize as a tree because of their height. The permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...

 does not allow the taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...

 to get deeper than 6 in (15.2 cm) so this does not allow vertical growth. The Arctic Willow may be up to around 25 ft (7.6 m) horizontally, but only 6 in (15.2 cm) tall. Average monthly temperatures are below freezing for eight months of the year. Iqaluit's precipitation averages just over 400 mm (15.7 in) annually, much wetter than many other localities in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Arctic Archipelago, is a Canadian archipelago north of the Canadian mainland in the Arctic...

, with the summer being the wettest season.

Snowstorms and blizzards

The city of Iqaluit experiences some destructive winter storms during the winter season. A notable blizzard indirectly hit Iqaluit in early February 2007, with wind gusts up to 130 kilometres per hour (80.8 mph).

Demographics

Census Population
1971 2,014
1981 2,333
1991 3,552
2001 5,236
2006 6,184

  • Aboriginal people
    Aboriginal peoples in Canada
    Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....

     60.0%
    • Inuit 58.2%
    • Métis
      Métis people (Canada)
      The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...

       0.9%
    • North American Indian
      First Nations
      First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

       0.7%
  • Non-Aboriginal 40.0%

  • Mother tongue
    First language
    A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...

    • English
      English language
      English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

       (Official, Federal) 42.8%
    • French
      French language
      French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

       (Official, Federal) 4.5%
    • English and French 0.2%
    • Other 52.4%
      • Of the Aboriginal population 81.2% stated that an Aboriginal language (predominantly Inuktitut
        Inuktitut
        Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...

         (an official language at the territorial level) but includes other Aboriginal languages) was their mother tongue and 87.8% had a knowledge of an Aboriginal language.

  • Religion
    Religion
    Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

    • Protestant
      Protestantism
      Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

       64.4%
    • Roman Catholic
      Roman Catholic Church
      The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

       (Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson
      Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson
      The Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill–Baie d'Hudson is a Roman Catholic diocese that includes part of the Province of Manitoba. It had previously been known as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill for a short time in 1967 and 1968. It is currently led by Bishop Reynald Rouleau.As of 2004,...

      ) 19.4%
    • Other Christian
      Christian
      A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

       2.5%
    • Other religions 1.2%
      • Muslim 0.3%
      • Buddhist 0.2%
    • No religion 12.6%

Notable Iqalummiut

  • Eva Aariak, politician, second Premier of Nunavut
    Premier of Nunavut
    The Premier of Nunavut is the first minister for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. They are the territory's head of government and de facto chief executive, although their powers are considerably smaller than that of a provincial premier....

  • Paul-André Brasseur
    Paul-André Brasseur
    Paul-André Brasseur is a Canadian child actor of partly Inuit ancestry.-Filmography:* Ce qu'il faut pour vivre ; aka The Necessities of Life -External links:...

    , child actor
  • Ann Meekitjuk Hanson
    Ann Meekitjuk Hanson
    Ann Meekitjuk Hanson was the Commissioner of Nunavut. She served from April 21, 2005 until April 10, 2010...

    , former Commissioner of Nunavut
    Commissioners of Nunavut
    This is a list of the Commissioners of Nunavut, Canada, since its creation in 1999. As of 12 May 2010, the commissioner is Edna Elias.-History:The position of Commissioner was created in 1999 with the creation of the new territory...

  • Kenn Harper
    Kenn Harper
    Kenn Harper is a Canadian grocer in Iqaluit, Nunavut. He writes a regular column in Nunatsiaq News. He was employed at various times as a teacher and development officer and is an entrepreneur. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society...

    , grocer, amateur historian, and entrepreneur
  • Lucie Idlout
    Lucie Idlout
    Lucie Idlout is a Canadian rock singer.An Inuk from Iqaluit, Nunavut, she is the daughter of Leah Idlout d'Argencourt and granddaughter of Joseph Idlout, an Inuk hunter who was the subject of a National Film Board documentary, Between Two Worlds, in 1990 and was one of the Inuit hunters depicted...

    , rock singer, songwriter
  • Matty McNair
    Matty McNair
    Matty L McNair is an American explorer. She now lives in the Canadian Arctic in Iqaluit, Nunavut, on Baffin Island, where she runs her company NorthWinds...

    , US born tour guide
  • Simonie Michael, first Inuk to be elected to what is now the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in 1966
  • Nakasuk
    Nakasuk
    Nakasuk was an Inuk who was born at a sealing camp near Pangnirtung, Nunavut in the early 20th century and grew up around Kimmirut . He assisted a US Navy party wintering on Baffin Island during the 1941-1942 winter to find a suitable location for a US air base...

    , founder of Iqaluit
  • Paul Okalik
    Paul Okalik
    Paul Okalik MLA is a Canadian politician. He is the first Inuk member called to the Nunavut Bar, the first Premier of Nunavut and the only multi-term premier of a Canadian territory....

    , Lawyer, politician, former member of the
    Member of the Legislative Assembly
    A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....

     Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
    Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
    The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada, is located in Iqaluit, and is the territory's parliament.The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, on 7 October 2002, during her Golden Jubilee tour of Canada...

    , first Premier of Nunavut and former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
    Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
    The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut is the presiding officer of the territorial legislature. Since 1999 the position has been elected by Members of the Legislative Assembly using a secret ballot. -List of speakers:...

    . Most recently the unsuccessful federal Liberal candidate for Nunavut

  • Abe Okpik
    Abe Okpik
    Abe "Abraham" Okpik, CM was an Inuit community leader in Canada. He instrumental in helping Inuit obtain surnames rather than disc numbers...

    , politician, worked on Project Surname to obtain family names for Inuit rather than disc number
    Disc number
    Disc numbers or ujamiit in the Inuit language were used by the Government of Canada in lieu of surnames for the Inuit and were similar to dog-tags. The discs were small, made of leather, had a string attached and were supposed to be worn around the neck....

    s and first Inuk to sit (appointed) on what is now the NWT Legislative Assembly
  • Dennis Patterson
    Dennis Patterson
    Dennis Glen Patterson is a politician and lawyer. He served as MLA for Frobisher Bay and Iqaluit from 1978 to 1995, as NWT Minister of Education, Justice and Municipal Affairs and was chosen as the fifth consensus Government Leader of Northwest Territories, Canada from 1987 to 1991...

    , politician, former MLA and Premier of the NWT (prior to division), current Canadian Senator for Nunavut
  • Aqpik Peter, Nunavut speed skater, role model/poster boy for 2010 Winter Olympics
    2010 Winter Olympics
    The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

  • Ed Picco
    Ed Picco
    Edward "Ed" Walter Picco is a Canadian Nunavut politician first elected in the 1995 Northwest Territories election. He was re-elected in the 1999 Nunavut election and in the 2004 Nunavut election...

    , politician, former MLA in NWT and Nunavut
  • Annabella Piugattuk
    Annabella Piugattuk
    Annabella Piugattuk is a Canadian Inuit actress, notable for her role in The Snow Walker. Piugattuk was raised in Igloolik, a village with a population of 1,286 in the Nunavut territory of Canada...

    , actress
  • Elisapee Sheutiapik
    Elisapee Sheutiapik
    Elisapee Sheutiapik served as mayor of Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. She won the mayoral election in 2003, defeating the incumbent mayor John Matthews by 40 votes, and was acclaimed to a second term in 2006...

    , ex-politician & mayor
  • Hunter Tootoo
    Hunter Tootoo
    Hunter Tootoo is a politician in Nunavut, Canada. He is a current member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, and has also sought election to the Canadian House of Commons....

    , politician, current MLA and speaker of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly
  • Sheila Watt-Cloutier
    Sheila Watt-Cloutier
    Sheila Watt-Cloutier, OC is a Canadian Inuit activist. She has been a political representative for Inuit at the regional, national and international levels, most recently as International Chair for Inuit Circumpolar Council...

    , politician, environmental activist, Nobel nominee


Transportation

Iqaluit has the distinction of being the smallest Canadian capital in terms of population and the only capital that is not connected to other settlements by a highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

. Located on an island remote from the Canadian highway system, Iqaluit is generally only accessible by aircraft and, subject to ice conditions, by boat. Iqaluit Airport
Iqaluit Airport
Iqaluit Airport serves Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada and is located adjacent to the town. It is operated by the government of Nunavut. It hosts scheduled passenger service from Ottawa, Montreal, Rankin Inlet and Kuujjuaq on carriers such as First Air and Canadian North, as well as from smaller...

 is a fully modern facility whose originally Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 era runway is more than long enough for most classes of modern jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...

. A persistent rumour that Iqaluit is an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...

 is false. Iqaluit Airport was a centre for cold-weather testing of new aircraft, such as the Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...

 in February 2006. Both Canadian North
Canadian North
Canadian North Inc. is an airline based in the Northwest Tower in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to major communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Southern gateways include Edmonton and Ottawa...

 and First Air
First Air
Bradley Air Services Limited, operating as First Air, is an airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It operates services to 30 communities in Nunavut, Nunavik, and the Northwest Territories. The majority of its fleet is available for charters worldwide...

 serve Iqaluit from Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

 and Yellowknife as well as multiple communities in Nunavut. Air Canada Jazz
Air Canada Jazz
Jazz Aviation LP is a Canadian regional airline based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Enfield and Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation....

 also provided daily service to Iqaluit from Ottawa between March 28, 2010 and July 31, 2011. CBC reports the Air Canada service was cancelled due to rising fuel costs, among other issues, which prevented the route from being profitable. from First Air and Canadian North. Locally based airlines include Air Nunavut
Air Nunavut
Air Nunavut is an airline based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. It is the only local and Inuit-owned air carrier in the eastern Arctic, operating MEDEVAC and charter services throughout Canada's Arctic, northern Quebec and Greenland. Its main base is Iqaluit Airport.-History:The airline was...

, Canadian Helicopters
Canadian Helicopters
Canadian Helicopters , formerly CHC Helicopter Canadian operations, operates 132 aircraft from 43 bases across Canada which provides a broad range of helicopter services to include: emergency medical services, infrastructure maintenance, utilities, oil and gas, forestry, mining and construction,...

, Nunasi Helicopters and Unaalik Aviation. All provide air charter
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...

s and Air Nunavut and Kivalliq Air provide MEDIVAC/air ambulance
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....

 service.

In the middle of summer, a few ships — generally no larger than a Liberty class
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...

 vessel — transport bulk and heavy goods to the city. Cargo is off-loaded onto barges as the harbour is not deep enough. The city is currently planning a deepwater port. Experienced locals also cross the Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait links the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay in Canada. It lies between Baffin Island and the northern coast of Quebec, its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley and Resolution Island. It is long...

 from the Canadian mainland when it freezes over, either on foot or by dog sled
Dog sled
A dog sled is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing.-History:...

 or snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...

, a distance of over 100 km (62.1 mi).

Iqaluit has a local road system only stretching from the nearby community of Apex to the Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park Reserve, 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) west of town. Iqaluit currently has no public transportation, although there is city-wide taxi service. (There was bus service in the city before, but the service was cancelled due to low ridership.) Motor cars are increasing in number, to the extent of causing occasional traffic jams known locally as "the rush minute." However, the cost of shipping automobiles and the wear-and-tear of the harsh Arctic climate combined with its notoriously rough roadways mean that snowmobiles remain the preferred form of personal transportation. All-terrain vehicle
All-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...

s are also increasingly common in most of the Canadian Arctic
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...

. Snowmobiles are used to travel both within the city and in the surrounding area. In winter, dog sleds are still used, but primarily for recreation. In winter, the nearby Qaummaarviit Territorial Historic Park and the more remote Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve
Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve
Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve is a territorial park in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It was established in 1993 and has an area of . The Soper River, part of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System, flows through the park.-References:*** Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve ("the...

 are only accessible by snowmobile, dog sled or foot. In the summer, both are accessible by boat.

Both residents and businesses identify their locations mostly by building number, and occasionally by the name of a prominent structure. Residents know where in the city certain series of building numbers are located; numbers tend to be aggregated in blocks, so someone might say that they live in the 2600s. Around 2003, street names were developed, although there were delays in finalizing them and posting the signs. Street numbers have not been assigned, and building numbers continue to be used. Iqaluit is the only Canadian capital city not to have traffic signals.

Architecture and attractions

Much of Iqaluit's architecture is functional — designed to minimize material costs, while retaining heat and withstanding the climate. Early architecture runs from the 1950s military barracks of the original DEW line installation, through the 1970s white hyper-modernist fibreglass block of the Nakasuk School
Nakasuk School
Nakasuk School is one of 4 elementary schools in Iqaluit, Nunavut.The school design is distinctive, consisting of a two storey fibreglass ice block...

 and Municipal Offices and Arena, to the lines of the steel-reinforced concrete high-rise complex on the hill above it. A number of older Hudson's Bay Company and early 1950s buildings have been retained and restored in Apex (the former nursing station has been revived as the Rannva Bed and Breakfast, the HBC buildings as an art gallery). The newer buildings are more colourful and diverse, and closer to the norms of southern architecture, but largely unremarkable.

The principal exception is the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Building
Legislative Building of Nunavut
The Legislative Building of Nunavut was built between 1998 and 1999, and became the home of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in 1999. It is located in Iqaluit, Nunavut....

, which is remarkable for its colourful interior, adorned with some of the very best in Inuit art. A new legislative building is in planning to be developed and built outside the city on the Apex Road.

Another distinctive building was St. Jude's Anglican Cathedral
St. Jude's Cathedral (Iqaluit)
St. Jude's Cathedral may refer to:Canada*St. Jude's Cathedral United States*Cathedral of Saint Jude the Apostle...

, see of the Anglican Diocese of Arctic
Anglican Diocese of Arctic
The Diocese of the Arctic is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is by far the largest of the thirty dioceses in Canada, comprising almost , or one-third the land mass of the country...

, which was a white building shaped like an igloo
Igloo
An igloo or snowhouse is a type of shelter built of snow, originally built by the Inuit....

. Originally built by the parishioners, under the guidance of Markoosie Peter, a traditional master carpenter, the altar was shaped like a traditional Inuit sled, and the cross composed of two crossed narwhal
Narwhal
The narwhal, Monodon monoceros, is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. One of two living species of whale in the Monodontidae family, along with the beluga whale, the narwhal males are distinguished by a characteristic long, straight, helical tusk extending from their...

 tusks. An incident of arson severely affected the Cathedral structure and interior on 5 November 2005, and it was finally demolished on 1 June 2006. The cathedral is slowly being rebuilt (foundation 2008 super structure 2010) and fund-raising continues locally and internationally. As of December 2010, the exterior of a similarly shaped replacement cathedral had been completed, and interior work was planned for 2011 with a potential opening for Christmas 2011. On a ridge overlooking the city is the distinctive blue and white Inuksuk High School. The school is made up of four square sections joined together that give a clover leaf shape when viewed from the air.

The city is also the location of the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, which houses a large collection of Inuit and Arctic objects. The museum is housed in a restored and extended Hudson's Bay Company building, clad in the HBC signature red and white, transported to Iqaluit from its original site on the Apex Beach.

Just west of Iqaluit is the Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park Reserve. This park is dominated by the valley of the Sylvia Grinnell River. A small visitor's centre with viewing platform is located on top of a hill overlooking scenic waterfalls, tidal flats and traditional fishing sites.

Nearby on an island near Peterhead Inlet, is the Qaummaarviit Territorial Historic Park. It is a site with a long Inuit history and numerous artifacts have been recovered, including the remains of 11 semi-buried sod house
Sod house
The sod house or "soddy" was a corollary to the log cabin during frontier settlement of Canada and the United States. The prairie lacked standard building materials such as wood or stone; however, sod from thickly-rooted prairie grass was abundant...

s.

A little farther, across Frobisher Bay, are the Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve and the Soper Heritage River Park
Soper River
The Soper River is a waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Baffin Island.It flows over and then empties to the Soper Lake and Pleasant Inlet....

 forming a park corridor linking Iqaluit along traditional overland travel routes with [Kimmirut] (formerly Lake Harbour). Frobisher Bay extends for almost 70 miles to the east, with moderate hills, glaciers and traditional and summer camp sites, opening into the Davis Straits which divide Nunavut from Greenland.

Iqaluit, like many Nunavut communities has a volunteer run annual spring festival. Called Toonik Tyme it involves a combination of traditional Inuit activities combined with more modern events, while the Alianait Music and Arts Festival is held for a week each June 21.

Media

Radio
  • AM
    AM broadcasting
    AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...

     1230 - CFFB
    CFFB (AM)
    CFFB is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 1230 AM in Iqaluit, Nunavut. The station broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network, and serves as the regional network centre for Nunavut for the CBC North Radio One network....

    , CBC Radio One
    CBC Radio One
    CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...

    , English and Inuktitut current affairs, news and local programming
  • FM
    FM broadcasting
    FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...

     88.3 - CBM-FM-3
    CBM-FM
    CBM-FM is a Canadian radio station. It broadcasts the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's CBC Radio 2 network at 93.5 FM in Montreal, Quebec. Its studios, along with those of CBC Radio One sister station CBME-FM, are located at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal....

    , CBC Radio 2 (repeater of CBM-FM
    CBM-FM
    CBM-FM is a Canadian radio station. It broadcasts the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's CBC Radio 2 network at 93.5 FM in Montreal, Quebec. Its studios, along with those of CBC Radio One sister station CBME-FM, are located at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal....

    , Montreal
    Montreal
    Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

    )
  • FM 93.3 - CIQA-FM
    CIQA-FM
    CIQA-FM is a Weatheradio Canada station which broadcasts weather information and alerts on a frequency of 93.3 FM in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, in English, French and Inuktitut. The transmitter site is located near Iqaluit Airport...

    , weather, marine info
  • FM 99.9 - CKIQ-FM
    CKIQ-FM
    CKIQ-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 99.9 FM in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Owned by Northern Lights Entertainment, the station airs a variety/hot adult contemporary format formerly branded as The New CKIQ and Raven Rock, and is one of two commercial radio stations currently licensed to...

    , adult contemporary music
    Adult contemporary music
    Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....

    , recorded
  • FM 103.5 - CKGC-FM, oldies
    Oldies
    Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....

  • FM 107.3 - CFRT-FM
    CFRT-FM
    CFRT-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 107.3 FM in Iqaluit, Nunavut. A community radio station for the city's francophone community, the station broadcasts a mix of original programming and programs syndicated from other radio networks in Canada, including Radio-Canada's Première...

    , community radio
    Community radio
    Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...

     (French
    French language
    French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

    )

Television
  • Channel 8 - CFFB-TV
    CFFB-TV
    CFFB-TV is the television call sign for the CBC's television transmitter in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Programming on the transmitter is the CBC North Television service which consists of the regular national CBC Television schedule in Mountain Time, with the addition of the northern news programs CBC...

    , CBC Television
    CBC Television
    CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...

     / CBC North
    CBC North
    CBC North is the name for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio and television service in the Canadian Arctic. Originally known as the CBC Northern Service, its first operations began in 1958 with radio broadcasts including the takeover of CFYK, originally a Royal Canadian Signal...

  • Channel 10 - CH4161, APTN
    Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
    Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is a Canadian broadcast and cable television network. APTN airs and produces programs made by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples...

     (Eastern terrestrial feed)
  • Channel 12 - CH2260
    CBFT
    CBFT is the flagship station of Télévision de Radio-Canada, the French language television network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Its studios and master control are located at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal....

    , Radio-Canada
    Télévision de Radio-Canada
    Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...

     (repeater of CBFT
    CBFT
    CBFT is the flagship station of Télévision de Radio-Canada, the French language television network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Its studios and master control are located at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal....

    , Montreal
    Montreal
    Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

    )

Press
  • Nunatsiaq News
    Nunatsiaq News
    Nunatsiaq News is a Canadian weekly newspaper based in Iqaluit, Nunavut serving Nunavut and the Nunavik region of northern Quebec and has been in operation since 1973. The paper, published every Friday by Nortext Publishing Corporation of Iqaluit and Ottawa, bears a retail price of $1.00...

  • News/North
    News/North
    News/North is a newspaper based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, with offices in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and owned by Northern News Services. The newspaper is printed in two separate editions, Northwest Territories News/North and Nunavut News/North that reports on news throughout...



Further reading

  • Baffin Regional Health Board (Nunavut), and Health Needs Assessment Project (Nunavut). Iqaluit Community Profile. Iqaluit, Nunavut?: Health Needs Assessment Project, Baffin Regional Health Board?, 1994.
  • Eno, Robert V. Crystal Two The Origin of Iqaluit. Arctic. 2003.
  • Hodgson, D. A. Quaternary geology of western Meta Incognita Peninsula and Iqaluit area, Baffin Island, Nunavut. Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada, 2005. ISBN 0-660-19405-8
  • Keen, Jared. Iqaluit Gateway to the Arctic. Calgary: Weigl, 2000. ISBN 1-896990-55-X
  • Kublu, Alexina, and Mélanie Gagnon. Inuit Recollections on the Military Presence in Iqaluit. Memory and history in Nunavut, v. 2. Iqaluit, N.W.T.: Nunavut Arctic College, 2002. ISBN 1-896204-54-6
  • Newbery, Nick. Iqaluit gateway to Baffin. Iqaluit, NT: Published for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 4, Iqaluit by Nortext Pub. Co, 1995. ISBN 1-55036-452-9


External links

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