Iqaluit#Geography

Iqaluit has been a traditional fishing location used by Inuit and their predecessors, the Paleo-Eskimo (Dorset culture) and Thule, for thousands of years.{{Cite web |url=https://www.myconsultant.ca/EN/Iqaluit-Nunavut--A-Guide-for-Newcomers |title=Iqaluit, Nunavut – A Guide for Newcomers |access-date=25 December 2021 |archive-date=25 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225183011/https://www.myconsultant.ca/EN/Iqaluit-Nunavut--A-Guide-for-Newcomers |url-status=live}}[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/iqaluit Iqaluit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225183004/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/iqaluit |date=25 December 2021}} at The Canadian Encyclopedia The name, Iqaluit, comes from Inuktitut Iqaluit (ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ), which means place of many fish.{{cite web |url=https://www.iqaluit.ca/visitors/explore-iqaluit/history |title=About Iqaluit: History & Milestones – City of Iqaluit |website=www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca |access-date=4 February 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623013451/https://www.iqaluit.ca/visitors/explore-iqaluit/history |archive-date=23 June 2020}}

World War II resulted in an influx of non-Inuit to the area in 1942, when the United States built Frobisher Bay Air Base there, on a long-term lease from the Government of Canada,{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} in order to provide a stop-over and refuelling site for the short-range aircraft being ferried to Europe to support the war effort. Iqaluit's first permanent resident was Nakasuk, an Inuk guide who helped United States Army Air Forces planners to choose a site with a large flat area suitable for a landing strip.{{Cite web |last=Thorne |first=Stephen J. |date=2023-02-21 |title=Northern reflections - Exploring military connections in Iqaluit on Remembrance Day |url=https://legionmagazine.com/northern-reflections-exploring-military-connections-in-iqaluit-on-remembrance-day/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Legion Magazine |language=en-US}} The wartime airstrip was known as Crystal Two and was part of the Crimson Route.{{Cite journal |last=Eno |first=Robert V. |date=2003 |title=Crystal Two: The Origin of Iqaluit |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40512159 |journal=Arctic |volume=56 |issue=1 |pages=63–75 |issn=0004-0843}} It operates today as Iqaluit Airport.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

The US and Canadian authorities named it Frobisher Bay, after the name of the body of water it borders.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

File:GebaeudeHudsenBayCompanyApexFotoAndreKaiser.GIF moved its south Baffin operations to Apex in 1949 (pictured in 2005) to take advantage of the nearby airfield.]]

In 1949, after the war, the Hudson's Bay Company moved its south Baffin operations to the neighbouring valley of Niaqunngut, officially called Apex, in order to use the airfield.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} In the mid-1950s, the population of Frobisher Bay increased rapidly during the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW line), a system of defensive radar stations—see NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command).{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Hundreds of mostly non-Inuit construction workers, military personnel, and administrative staff moved into the community, and several hundred Inuit followed, to take advantage of the access to jobs and medical care provided by the base operations.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} By 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 supported by government services.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Naval Radio Station (NRS) Frobisher Bay (HMCS Frobisher Bay), callsign CFI, was established in July 1954 as a result of the closure of NRS Chimo, Quebec. Station CFI was part of the Supplementary Radio network. Because of its remoteness and size, it was very expensive to operate. Renamed CFS Frobisher Bay in 1966, advancing technology eventually forced the closure of CFI later that year.{{Cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/navy/services/history/ships-histories/frobisher-bay.html |title=HMCS Frobisher Bay |date=6 October 2017 |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=19 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719195841/https://www.canada.ca/en/navy/services/history/ships-histories/frobisher-bay.html |url-status=live}}

The American military left Iqaluit in 1963,{{Cite news |last=Waring |first=Gerald |date=1963-07-04 |title=Frobisher Bay |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-gerald-waring/172459625/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |work=The Vancouver Sun |pages=4}} as their development of the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) diminished the strategic value of the DEW line and Arctic airbases. Canada continued to operate an administrative and logistical centre for much of the eastern Arctic at Frobisher Bay. In 1964, the first local elections were held for a community council, and in 1979 for the first mayor.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} The founding of the Gordon Robertson Educational Centre, now Inuksuk High School, in the 1971{{Cite news |last=Hume |first=Steve |date=1971-10-12 |title=North school runs into snag |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-north-school-runs-into/172458454/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |work=Edmonton Journal |pages=39}} at Iqaluit confirmed the government's commitment to the community as an administrative centre. At the time of its founding, this was the sole high school operating in what constituted more than one-seventh of Canadian territory.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

On 1 January 1987, the name of the municipality was changed from "Frobisher Bay" to "Iqaluit."{{Cite book |last=Alia |first=Valerie |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Names_and_Nunavut/rVoNxuS4n1gC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Frobisher+Bay+iqaluit+name&pg=PA67&printsec=frontcover |title=Names and Nunavut: Culture and Identity in Arctic Canada |date= |publisher=Berghahn Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84545-413-5 |pages=67 |language=en}} This aligned official usage with the name that the Inuit population had always used, although many documents were made that referred to Iqaluit as Frobisher Bay for several years after 1987. In the non-binding 1995 Nunavut capital plebiscite, held 11 December, the residents of what would become the new territory selected Iqaluit (over Rankin Inlet) to serve as the future capital. On 19 April 2001, it became an official city.{{Cite news |last=George |first=Jane |date=2001-03-30 |title=Iqaluit, pop. 6,000 to declare itself a city |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/national-post-iqaluit-pop-6000-to-dec/172458026/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |work=National Post |pages=5}}

Canada designated Iqaluit as the host city for the 2010 meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven) finance ministers.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-g7-talks-serious-business-aglukkaq-1.924821 |title=Iqaluit G7 talks serious business: Aglukkaq |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=2 February 2010 |access-date=12 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922173405/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2010/02/02/iqa-g7-talks.html |archive-date=22 September 2012 |url-status=live}} It was held on 5–6 February.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/g7-iqaluit-meeting-ends-1.908753 The requirements for the international meeting strained the northern communications technology infrastructure and required supplemental investment.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/g7-tests-nunavut-data-networks-1.890104 |title=G7 tests Nunavut data networks |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=4 February 2010 |access-date=12 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104203326/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2010/02/04/iqaluit-g7-communications.html |archive-date=4 January 2012 |url-status=live}}

• 1576 – Englishman Martin Frobisher sails into Frobisher Bay believing he has found the westward route to China. He held the first Anglican church service in North America here.
• 1861 – Charles Francis Hall, an American, camps at the Sylvia Grinnell River and explores the waters of Koojesse Inlet,{{cite cgndb|OAJHD|Koojesse Inlet|7 July 2020}} which he names after his Inuit guide.
• 1942 – The United States Army Air Forces selects this area as the site of a major air base to support war efforts in the United Kingdom and Europe.
• 1949 – The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) moves its trading post from Ward Inlet to nearby Apex.
• 1955 – Frobisher Bay becomes the centre for the United States/Canada DEW Line construction operations. Many Inuit continue to settle here for local services.
• 1958 – Telephone exchange service established by Bell Canada.
• 1963 – United States military move out, resulting in some population loss.
• 1964 – First community council formed.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} The population of Frobisher Bay is 900.{{Cite news |last=Hicks |first=Laureen |date=1964-01-18 |title=Youngest Eskimo comes to Montreal, joins many others |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montreal-star-youngest-eskimo-comes/172460632/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |work=The Montreal Star |pages=57}}
• 1970 – Frobisher Bay officially recognized as a settlement.
• 1974 – Settlement of Frobisher Bay gains village status.
• 1976 – Inuit present a proposal for a separate Nunavut Territory to the Federal government.{{Cite web |last=Hastedt |first=Glenn |title=Inuit File Claim to a Section of Canadian Territory {{!}} EBSCO Research Starters |url=https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/inuit-file-claim-section-canadian-territory#:~:text=On%20February%2027,%201976,%20Inuit%20leaders%20presented,1.3%20million%20square%20miles,%20including%20ocean%20territory.&text=The%20proposal%20also%20included%20a%20vision%20for,separate%20from%20the%20Northwest%20Territories%20and%20Yukon. |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.ebsco.com |language=en}}
• 1979 – The first mayor elected, Bryan Pearson.
• 1980 – Frobisher Bay designated as a town.
• 1982 – Government of Canada agrees in principle to the creation of Nunavut.
• 1987 – Frobisher Bay is renamed as Iqaluit, its original Inuktitut name meaning "place of (many) fish".
• 1993 – The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is signed in Iqaluit.{{Cite news |date=1993-05-26 |title=Deal gives {{sic|nolink=yes|Inuits}} own territory |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-gleaner-deal-gives-inuits-own-terr/172460523/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |work=Daily Gleaner |pages=2}}
• 1995 – Nunavut residents select Iqaluit as the capital of the new territory{{cite web |url=http://www.nunanet.com/~nunat/week/51215.html#2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070311101305/http://www.nunanet.com/~nunat/week/51215.html%232 |archive-date=11 March 2007 |title=Iqaluit Wins the Capital Plebiscite |date=15 December 1995 |publisher=Nunatisaq News |access-date=30 July 2006}}
• 1 April 1999 – The territory of Nunavut is established.
• 19 April 2001 – Iqaluit is chartered as a city.
• 2002 – Iqaluit, along with Nuuk, Greenland, co-host the first jointly hosted Arctic Winter Games; the Arctic Winter Games Arena was constructed in Iqaluit for the event.
• 5 February 2010 – Canada designates Iqaluit to host the finance meeting as part of the 2010 G7 summit.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-to-host-g7-finance-meeting-1.801238 |title=Iqaluit to host G7 finance meeting |publisher=CBC News |date=18 November 2009 |access-date=25 August 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114180504/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2009/11/18/nunavut-g7-meet.html |archive-date=14 November 2012}}
• 29 July 2022 – Pope Francis visits Iqaluit to meet with a group of former residential school alumni on his penitential apostolic visit to Canada. He is the first Pope to visit Nunavut.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/pope-francis-iqaluit-nunavut-visit-1.6535224 |title=Pope Francis, in Iqaluit visit, asks forgiveness for residential schools |date=29 July 2022 |access-date=29 August 2022 |archive-date=3 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803135959/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/pope-francis-iqaluit-nunavut-visit-1.6535224 |url-status=live}}

File:Aerial view of Iqaluit, Nunavut (Quintin Soloviev).jpg]]

Iqaluit is the northernmost city in Canada, at 63 degrees north of the Equator. Iqaluit is located in the Everett Mountains, which rise from Koojesse 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.

File:October nights in the Arctic (2).jpg, featuring long, cold winters, and brief summers that are too cool to permit the growth of large trees.]]

Iqaluit has a tundra climate (Köppen: ET, Trewartha: Ftkd) typical of the Arctic region, although it is well outside the Arctic Circle. The city features long, cold winters and brief, cool summers. Average monthly temperatures are below freezing for eight months of the year. Iqaluit averages just over {{cvt|400|mm}} of precipitation annually, much wetter than many other localities in the Arctic Archipelago, with the summer being the wettest season. Temperatures of the winter months are comparable to other northern communities further west on the continent such as Yellowknife and to some extent even Fairbanks, Alaska, even though Iqaluit is a few degrees colder than the latter. Summer temperatures are, however, much colder due to its easterly maritime position affected by the waters of the cold Baffin Island Current. This means that the tree line is much further south in the eastern part of Canada, being as southbound, in spite of low elevation, as northern Labrador.{{cite web |url=http://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/files/K-12/Curriculum/social-studies/circumpolar-world/maps/C2-Map-Page-17-The-Treeline-in-Canada.pdf |title=The Treeline in Canada |publisher=NWT Department of Education, Culture and Employment |access-date=10 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210030744/http://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/files/K-12/Curriculum/social-studies/circumpolar-world/maps/C2-Map-Page-17-The-Treeline-in-Canada.pdf |archive-date=10 February 2015}}

Although it is north of the natural tree line, there are some short, south-facing imported black spruce (Picea mariana) specimens protected by snowdrifts in the winter,{{cite news |last=Edgar |first=Courtney |date=11 December 2018 |title=Christmas trees can grow in Iqaluit |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/christmas-trees-can-grow-in-iqaluit/ |work=Nunatsiaq News |publisher=Nortext Publishing Corporation |access-date=26 April 2020 |archive-date=16 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116031905/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/christmas-trees-can-grow-in-iqaluit/ |url-status=live}} in addition to a few shrubs, which are woody plants. These include the Arctic willow (Salix arctica). The Arctic willow may be up to around {{cvt|25|ft|order=flip}} horizontally, but only {{cvt|6|in|order=flip}} tall.

The climate of Iqaluit is also colder than Gulf Stream locations on the same latitude. For example, the Norwegian city of Trondheim has an annual mean temperature that is {{cvt|15.2|C-change}} milder.

The lowest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-45.6|C}} on 10 February 1967. The highest temperature ever recorded in Iqaluit was {{cvt|26.8|C}} on 21 July 2008.

Iqaluit's climate is changing. In 1979, the mean temperature was {{cvt|-9.0|C}}, but in 2023, it was {{cvt|-6.8|C}}. Furthermore, during the first 23 years of that period, there were 14 years which displayed a negative temperature anomaly and 9 which displayed a positive one, whereas in the second 23 years, there were only 3 negative and 20 positive temperature anomaly years.{{Cite web

| title = Climate Change: Iqaluit, Canada

| url = https://www.meteoblue.com/en/climate-change/iqaluit_canada_5983720

| website = meteoblue

| access-date = 6 January 2025

}}

{{Iqaluit weatherbox}}

File:Iqaluit skyline.jpg of Iqaluit.]]

{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}

• Downtown (central)
• Happy Valley (north)
• Lake Subdivision (north) – residential area
• Lower Base (south)
• Lower Iqaluit (southeast)
• North 40 (northwest) – located on the north side of the airport
• Plateau Subdivision (northwest) – residential area
• Road To Nowhere (north)
• Tundra Valley (west)
• Tundra Ridge (west) – home to two of the city's schools and youth centre
• West 40 (southwest) – commercial area

{{div col end}}

File:Apex Nunavut.JPG, a suburban neighbourhood of Iqaluit.]]

Apex (Niaqunngut), officially and functionally part of the City of Iqaluit, is a small community about {{cvt|5|km}} southeast ({{Coord|63|43|20|N|068|26|56|W|type:city_region:CA-NU_scale:20000|notes={{Cite cgndb|OABAN|Apex}}|name=Apex}}) 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 primary school (Nanook Elementary School), a design shop and a bed and breakfast in the community. Apex was where most Inuit lived when Iqaluit was a military site and off-limits to anyone not working at the base.

{{Update section|date=January 2016}}

File:Leg Building Iqaluit 2000-08-27.jpg is a distinctive building in Iqaluit.]]

Much of Iqaluit's architecture is functional{{emdash}}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 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 (HBC) 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.

The principal exception is the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Building, 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.

File:Iqaluit St. Jude's Anglican Cathedral 2012.JPG, St. Jude's Cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of The Arctic.]]

Another distinctive building is St. Jude's Anglican Cathedral, see of the Anglican Diocese of The Arctic, which is a white building shaped like an igloo. The old St Jude's Cathedral, also in the shape of an igloo, was built in 1972 but arson severely affected the Cathedral structure and interior on 5 November 2005,{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/iqaluit-officials-confirm-cathedral-fire-was-deliberately-set-1.524900 |work=CBC News |title=Iqaluit officials confirm cathedral fire was deliberately set |date=10 November 2005}} and it was demolished on 1 June 2006. Its altar was built by the parishioners, under the guidance of Markoosie Peter, a traditional master carpenter. It was shaped like a traditional Inuit sled, and the cross composed of two crossed narwhal tusks.

In December 2010, the exterior of a similarly shaped replacement cathedral was completed, and interior work was planned for 2011 with a potential opening for Christmas 2011. The current building, informally referred to as the Igloo Cathedral, was opened on 3 June 2012. The unique building, in the shape of an igloo, has traditionally been a landmark and tourist attraction in Iqaluit, besides its important spiritual role for Iqalummiut (people of Iqaluit).

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 that give a cloverleaf 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.

File:River at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park.JPG. The territorial park is located just outside the city limits.]]

Just west of Iqaluit is the Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park. 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 Park. It is a site with a long Inuit history and numerous artifacts have been recovered, including the remains of 11 semi-buried sod houses.

A little farther, across Frobisher Bay, are the Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve and the Soper River, a Canadian Heritage River, forming a park corridor linking Iqaluit along traditional overland travel routes with Kimmirut (formerly Lake Harbour). Frobisher Bay extends for almost {{cvt|70|mi|order=flip}} to the east, with moderate hills, glaciers and traditional and summer camp sites, opening into the Davis Strait, which divides 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 21 June.{{Cite web |url=https://alianait.ca/ |title=Alianait |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=21 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721195642/https://alianait.ca/ |url-status=live}} The festival has attracted Canadian and international artists such as Joshua Haulli,{{Cite web |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674nunavut_youth_from_igloolik_win_alianait_battle_of_the_bands/ |title=Nunavut teen from Igloolik wins Alianait battle of the bands |date=29 June 2015 |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=30 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830102454/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674nunavut_youth_from_igloolik_win_alianait_battle_of_the_bands/ |url-status=live}} Quantum Tangle,{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/lovers-reunite-across-borders-at-alianait-arts-festival-1.3656282 |title=Lovers reunite across borders at Nunavut's Alianait Arts Festival |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=23 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823214914/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/lovers-reunite-across-borders-at-alianait-arts-festival-1.3656282 |url-status=live}} Washboard Hank{{Cite web |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674music_and_fun_galore_at_iqaluits_2012_alianait_arts_festival/ |title=Music and fun galore at Iqaluit's 2012 Alianait Arts Festival |date=28 June 2012 |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=19 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719190111/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674music_and_fun_galore_at_iqaluits_2012_alianait_arts_festival/ |url-status=live}} and Namgar.{{Cite web |url=http://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674alianait_opens_applications_for_11th_circumpolar_music_fest/ |title=Alianait opens applications for 11th circumpolar music fest |date=21 November 2014 |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=20 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720004858/http://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674alianait_opens_applications_for_11th_circumpolar_music_fest/ |url-status=live}}

{{Historical populations

| title = Federal census population history of Iqaluit

| type = Canada

| align = right

|1971|2050

|1976|2320

|1981|2333

|1986|2947

|1991|3552

|1996|4220

|2001|5236

|2006|6184

|2011|6699

|2016|7740

|2021|7429

| footnote =

| source = Statistics Canada
{{cite web |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS92-805-1976.pdf |title=1976 Census of Canada: Population – Geographic Distributions |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=June 1977 |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114124133/https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS92-805-1976.pdf |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS94-905-1981.pdf |title=1981 Census of Canada: Census subdivisions in decreasing population order |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=May 1992 |access-date=1 February 2021 |archive-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114124130/https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS94-905-1981.pdf |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS92-101-1987.pdf |title=1986 Census: Population – Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=September 1987 |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-date=8 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508144835/http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS92-101-1987.pdf |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-304-1992.pdf |title=91 Census: Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions – Population and Dwelling Counts |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=April 1992 |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-date=8 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508192734/http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-304-1992.pdf |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-357-1997.pdf |title=1996 Census: A National Overview – Population and Dwelling Counts |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=April 1997 |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128102145/https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-357-1997.pdf |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-P.cfm?T=1&SR=1&S=1&O=A&PR=62 |title=Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses – 100% Data (Nunavut) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=15 August 2012 |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202201433/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-P.cfm?T=1&SR=1&S=1&O=A&PR=62 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-550/Index.cfm?TPL=P1C&Page=RETR&LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=1&O=A&RPP=9999&CMA=0&PR=62 |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses – 100% data (Nunavut) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=20 August 2021 |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202164127/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-550/Index.cfm?TPL=P1C&Page=RETR&LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=1&O=A&RPP=9999&CMA=0&PR=62 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table-Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=51&O=A&RPP=9999&CMA=0&PR=62 |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Nunavut) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=25 July 2021 |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203043006/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table-Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=51&O=A&RPP=9999&CMA=0&PR=62 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=62 |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nunavut) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=8 February 2017 |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203053554/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=62 |url-status=live}}

}}

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Iqaluit had a population of 7,429 living in 2,708 of its 3,297 total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:7429-7740}}|7740|1 % =  per cent}} from its 2016 population of 7,740. With a land area of {{cvt|51.58|km2}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|7429|51.58|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Iqaluit&DGUIDlist=2021A00056204003,2021S05100306&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Profile table Iqaluit, City (CY) Nunavut [Census subdivision] and Iqaluit Nunavut [Population centre] |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=2 August 2024 |access-date=7 May 2025 |archive-date=8 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250508002452/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Iqaluit&DGUIDlist=2021A00056204003,2021S05100306&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |url-status=live}}

The median value of these dwellings is $376,639, quite a bit higher than the national median at $280,552. The average household has about 2.8 people living in it, and the average family has 1.4 children living at home with them. The median (after-tax) household income in Iqaluit is quite high, $98,921, almost double the national rate at $54,089. The median income for an individual in the city, is also high, $60,688. 5.9 per cent of people (over 15 years old) are either divorced or separated, which is quite a bit lower than the national rate at 8.6 per cent. Also, 53.3 per cent of the population is either married or living with a common law partner.

Iqaluit has quite a young population, the median age of the population is more than 10 years younger than the national rate, 30.1 years old compared to 40.6 years old.

For those over the age of 25:

• 75.7% are high school educated (15.9% as their highest level of education)
• 59.8% are post-secondary school educated
• 24.3% have no certificate, diploma or degree

The 2021 census reported that immigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 750 persons or 10.3% of the total population of Iqaluit. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were Philippines (195 persons or 26.0%), Cameroon (50 persons or 6.7%), United Kingdom (40 persons or 5.3%), Nigeria (40 persons or 5.3%), Zimbabwe (40 persons or 5.3%), United States of America (35 persons or 4.7%), India (25 persons or 3.3%), Pakistan (20 persons or 2.7%), China (20 persons or 2.7%), Jamaica (20 persons or 2.7%), and Ethiopia (20 persons or 2.7%).

As of 2016, Iqaluit has the most Inuit in both numbers (3,900) and percentages (59.1 per cent), of all Canadian cities with populations greater than 5,000.{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204003&Geo2=CD&Code2=6204&Data=Count&SearchText=Iqaluit&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Visible+minority&TABID=1 |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census – Iqaluit, City [Census subdivision], Nunavut and Baffin, Region [Census division], Nunavut |publisher=Government of Canada, Statistics Canada |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |access-date=2 May 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054352/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E |archive-date=17 March 2017 |date=8 February 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204003&Geo2=CD&Code2=6204&Data=Count&SearchText=Iqaluit&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Aboriginal+peoples&TABID=1 |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census – Iqaluit, City [Census subdivision], Nunavut and Baffin, Region [Census division], Nunavut |publisher=Government of Canada, Statistics Canada |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |access-date=2 May 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054352/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E |archive-date=17 March 2017 |date=8 February 2017}}

File:Iqaluit stop sign.jpg in Iqaluit. The sign features the two most-spoken languages in the city, English and Inuktitut.]]

File:IqaluitCatholicChurch.jpg

There is no "majority mother tongue" in Iqaluit, as 45.4 per cent reported their mother tongue as being English, and 45.4 per cent also reported their mother tongue as Inuktitut. English is spoken by 97.2 per cent of Iqaluit residents, however, whereas only 53.1 per cent can speak Inuktitut. French was the mother tongue of 4.8 per cent of the population, which is the same figure of the population who can speak the language. As of 2012, "Pirurvik, Iqaluit's Inuktitut language training centre, has a new goal: to train instructors from Nunavut communities to teach Inuktitut in different ways and in their own dialects when they return home."{{Cite news |last=Dawson |first=Samantha |title=A new way to nurture the Inuit language: train the instructors |work=NunatsiaqOnline |access-date=24 January 2013 |date=17 January 2013 |url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674a_new_way_to_spread_the_inuit_language_train_the_instructors/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208065849/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674a_new_way_to_spread_the_inuit_language_train_the_instructors |archive-date=8 February 2013}}

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Iqaluit included:

• Christianity (3,975 persons or 54.4%)
• Irreligion (3,060 persons or 41.9%)
• Islam (90 persons or 1.2%)
• Indigenous spirituality (50 persons or 0.7%)
• Hinduism (30 persons or 0.4%)
• Judaism (20 persons or 0.3%)
• Buddhism (10 persons or 0.1%)
• Other (75 persons or 1.0%)

File:Nakasuk Elementary School, Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada.jpg is one of six publicly funded schools in the city.]]

File:IqaluitMuseum.jpg

File:IqaluitSchool.jpg

The Qikiqtani School Operations based in Pond Inlet operates five schools in the area. Nanook Elementary School, located in Apex, Nakasuk School and Joamie Ilinniarvik School offer kindergarten to grade 5. Aqsarniit Ilinniarvik School offers grades 6 to 8 and Inuksuk High School offers grades 9 to 12.[http://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/nunavut_school_contact_list_24-sept-2015.pdf Nunavut Schools Contact List] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101034241/http://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/nunavut_school_contact_list_24-sept-2015.pdf |date=1 January 2016}}

The Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut runs École des Trois-Soleils and offers kindergarten to grade 12.{{cite web |url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/98789_iqaluits_french-language_school_spreads_its_wings/ |title=Iqaluit's French-language school spreads its wings |website=www.nunatsiaqonline.ca |access-date=2 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213200431/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/98789_iqaluits_french-language_school_spreads_its_wings/ |archive-date=13 February 2018}}

At the post-secondary level there are two, Nunavut Arctic College (Nunatta Campus) and Akitsiraq Law School.

File:Mounties Iqaluit Canada Day 19990701.jpg during a Canada Day parade in 1999. Policing is provided by the RCMP's V Division.]]

File:IqaluitHospital.jpg

Emergency services (fire and ambulance) are provided by city from a single station on Niaqunngusiariaq.{{cite web |url=https://www.iqaluit.ca/departments/emergency-services-0 |title=City of Iqaluit Emergency Services Department |publisher=City.iqaluit.nu.ca |access-date=18 July 2020 |archive-date=20 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720013016/https://www.iqaluit.ca/departments/emergency-services-0 |url-status=live}}

The emergency services fleet consists of:

• 1 engine
• 1 ladder
• 2 staff vehicles
• 3 ambulances

Iqaluit Airport Emergency Services is responsible for fire services at the airport. Following a fire at the airport in 1998, the Government of Nunavut re-opened the fire station at the airport.{{cite web |url=http://bst.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/1998/a98q0192/a98q0192.asp |title=Transportation Safety Board of Canada – Aviation Investigation Report A98Q0192 |publisher=Bst.gc.ca |access-date=8 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202231130/http://bst.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/1998/a98q0192/a98q0192.asp |archive-date=2 December 2013}} Their fleet consists of:

• Waltek C-5500 ARFF
• Oshkosh T3000 ARFF

Policing in Iqaluit, as with the rest of Nunavut, is contracted to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) V Division{{cite web |url=https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/nu/home |title=RCMP in Nunavut |publisher=Government of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police |access-date=9 May 2020 |archive-date=6 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506230224/https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/nu/home |url-status=live}} and the city is home to the divisional headquarters.{{cite web |url=https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/detach/en/d/692 |title=Nunavut divisional headquarters |date=14 July 2015 |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=1 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701005924/https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/detach/en/d/692 |url-status=live}}

Iqaluit also has a Municipal Enforcement Service that enforces local city bylaws. The services include handling of noise and traffic violations and animal control.

Qikiqtani General Hospital is the primary care facility in the city. The local public health office also provides primary care services like STI screening and tuberculosis related services. Two dental clinics exist in the city.

Iqaluit features two arenas, the Arctic Winter Games Arena and Arnaitok, the Iqaluit Aquaplex, a curling rink, Timmianut Pikiuqarvik, an eighteen hole disc golf course, the Frobisher Inn Fitness Centre, in the W.G. Brown Building / Astro Hill Complex,{{Cite web |url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=82367 |title=W.G. Brown Building/Astro Hill Complex |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=1 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701162738/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=82367 |url-status=live}} a golf course, outdoor basketball courts, soccer nets, seasonal outdoor ice rinks, a shooting range, a skatepark, and more.{{Cite web |url=https://sustainableiqaluit1.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/2012-what-we-have-final-eng-web.pdf |title=What We Have – Our Community Assets |date=2012 |website=Sustainable Iqaluit |access-date=6 January 2020 |archive-date=6 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106052801/https://sustainableiqaluit1.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/2012-what-we-have-final-eng-web.pdf |url-status=live}}

The city's infrastructure is stressed by growth and lack of means to upgrade. Waste from the city is disposed of into an open air dump on Akilliq Drive (West 40) located south of the city.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-s-infrastructure-struggles-to-keep-up-with-growth-1.1096808 |title=Iqaluit's infrastructure struggles to keep up with growth – North – CBC News |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=12 November 2011 |access-date=8 August 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807131102/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2011/11/22/north-big-fix-iqaluit.html |archive-date=7 August 2013}}

Although the city has water treatment facilities, raw sewage from the city is often dumped untreated into nearby Frobisher Bay.

As the dump has reached capacity, the city plans to open a second dump {{cvt|9|km}} north of the city.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-landfill-new-1.4761571 |title=Iqaluit to get new $35M dump, replacing current one dubbed 'environmental disaster' |publisher=CBC |date=26 July 2018 |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=23 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823185721/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-landfill-new-1.4761571 |url-status=live}} Iqaluit does not have a recycling program in place; all recyclable materials are sent into the waste stream.

In October 2021, residents of Iqaluit, experienced a water crisis when their tap water was found to be contaminated with fuel. The contamination was traced to a decades-old underground fuel tank that had leaked into the city's water supply.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-water-contamination-may-2022-1.6443273 |title=An old fuel tank and 'the void' contaminated Iqaluit's water, experts say |last=Zingel |first=Avery |date=6 May 2022 |website=CBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506155942/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-water-contamination-may-2022-1.6443273 |archive-date=6 May 2022}} The crisis led to a state of emergency, with residents relying on bottled water and water from nearby rivers for drinking, cooking, and other daily needs.{{cite web |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/iqaluit-declares-emergency-as-petroleum-suspected-in-water-supply/ |title=Iqaluit declares emergency as petroleum suspected in water supply |last=Venn |first=David |date=12 October 2021 |website=Nunatsiaq News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013005016/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/iqaluit-declares-emergency-as-petroleum-suspected-in-water-supply/ |archive-date=13 October 2021}} The situation highlighted the challenges of providing safe and reliable water services in remote and Arctic communities.{{cite web |url=https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/iqaluits-water-crisis-highlights-deeper-issues-arctic-infrastructure/ |title=Iqaluit's water crisis highlights deeper issues with Arctic infrastructure |last=Little |first=Kaylia |date=2 May 2022 |publisher=The Arctic Institute |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503070109/https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/iqaluits-water-crisis-highlights-deeper-issues-arctic-infrastructure/ |archive-date=3 May 2022}}

{{See also|Iqaluit Public Transit|Highways in Nunavut|Crimson Route}}

Iqaluit is the smallest Canadian capital in terms of population, and the only capital that is not connected to other settlements by a highway. Located on an island remote from the Canadian highway system, Iqaluit is generally only accessible by aircraft and, subject to ice conditions, by boat.

File:Iqaluit airport (6869460992).jpg hosts a number of scheduled flights to Ottawa, Montreal, Rankin Inlet, Kuujjuaq, and smaller communities throughout Nunavut.]]

Iqaluit Airport is a modern facility with a runway long enough for most modern jet aircraft. A new, larger passenger terminal building north of the old terminal was completed in 2018.

Canadian North serves Iqaluit from Ottawa, Yellowknife, and several communities in Nunavut. Locally based airlines Air Nunavut, Canadian Helicopters, Nunasi Helicopters, and Unaalik Aviation provide air charters, and Air Nunavut and Keewatin Air provide MEDIVAC / air ambulance service. Jazz Aviation provided daily service to Iqaluit from Ottawa in 2010 and 2011, but cancelled service due to rising fuel costs, which prevented the route from being profitable.{{cite web |url=http://micro.newswire.ca/release.cgi?rkey=1711096773&view=13213-0&Start=0&htm=0 |title=Air Canada expands its network north to Iqaluit |publisher=Micro.newswire.ca |date=28 March 2010 |access-date=2 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903232025/http://micro.newswire.ca/release.cgi?rkey=1711096773&view=13213-0&Start=0&htm=0 |archive-date=3 September 2015}}{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/air-canada-discontinues-iqaluit-flights-1.1125944 |title=Air Canada discontinues Iqaluit flights |publisher=CBC.ca |date=4 July 2011 |access-date=2 August 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810105736/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2011/07/04/air-canada-iqaluit-flights.html |archive-date=10 August 2011}}

Iqaluit shared its runway with the Royal Canadian Air Force until the Canadian Armed Forces stopped using Iqaluit as a Canadian NORAD Region Forward Operating Location. The barracks and CF-188 hangars are maintained. The airport has been a centre for cold-weather testing of new aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 in February 2006.

A deep sea port opened in Iqaluit in July 2023, after five years of construction.{{cite news |last1=Wright |first1=Thomas |title=After decades of plans and studies, Iqaluit's deep sea port finally opens |url=https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/after-decades-of-plans-and-studies-iqaluits-deep-sea-port-finally-opens/ |access-date=28 June 2024 |work=APTN News |date=27 July 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Pelletier |first1=Jeff |title=Iqaluit's ship comes in as deepsea port opens |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/iqaluits-ship-comes-in-as-deepsea-port-opens/ |access-date=28 June 2024 |date=25 July 2023}} The port features a dredged fixed dock, mooring space, a cargo laydown area, an all-tide barge ramp, and a fuel manifold.{{cite web |last1=Government of Nunavut |title=Iqaluit Port |url=https://www.gov.nu.ca/en/transportation/iqport |access-date=28 June 2024}}

Initial plans for the port included facilities for a vehicle ferry connection to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, however these plans were dropped due to high cost.{{cite web |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/high-costs-killed-iqaluit-labrador-vehicle-ferry-dream-nunavut-minister-says/ |title=High costs killed Iqaluit-Labrador vehicle ferry dream, Nunavut minister says |date=30 May 2019 |publisher=Nunatsiaq News |access-date=6 April 2020 |archive-date=5 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405031549/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/high-costs-killed-iqaluit-labrador-vehicle-ferry-dream-nunavut-minister-says/ |url-status=live}} Experienced locals also cross the Hudson Strait from the Canadian mainland when it freezes over, either on foot or by dog sled or snowmobile, a distance of over {{cvt|100|km}}.

File:Traffic on the Road to Nowhere.JPGs, dog sled, or foot.]]

Iqaluit has a local road system only stretching from the nearby community of Apex to the Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, {{cvt|1|km}} west of town. Iqaluit has no public transportation, although there is citywide taxi service. Iqaluit Public Transit used to offer bus service in the city, 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". 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 vehicles are also common in most of the Canadian Arctic. Snowmobiles are used to travel 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 Park and the more remote Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve are only accessible by snowmobile, dog sled or foot. In the summer, both are accessible by boat. Most major roads within Iqaluit are paved with asphalt, but local and smaller roads are gravel. Roads do not have traffic signals, but use stop signs to control intersections.

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,[https://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/restricted_drivers_manual.pdf Restricted Drivers Manual] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124181040/https://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/restricted_drivers_manual.pdf |date=24 November 2020}} page 16 although some have been installed on a temporary basis.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-temporary-traffic-lights-1.4675443 |title=Red light! Iqaluit's first traffic lights cause social media stir |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041208/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-temporary-traffic-lights-1.4675443 |url-status=live}}

File:Nunatsiaq News - Nunavut Tourism - Ayaya Communications Offices.jpg. Nunatsiaq News is one of two weekly newspapers that circulate in Iqaluit.]]

File:IqaluitHarbourView.jpg

File:IqaluitHarbourView2.jpg

Landline services in Iqaluit (established in 1958 by Bell Canada) and throughout northern Canada (established by Northwestel in five western Nunavut communities, and by Bell Canada elsewhere in Nunavut), are provided since 1992 by Northwestel.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nwtel.ca/about-us/who-we-are |title=Who we are |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806195147/https://nwtel.ca/about-us/who-we-are}}

Cell service is provided by Ice Wireless,{{Cite web |url=https://www.icewireless.com/en/network-coverage |title=Network Coverage |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=20 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720015404/https://www.icewireless.com/en/network-coverage |url-status=live}} Bell Mobility,{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cell-service-nunavut-communities-1.4296826 |title=Competitive cell service coming to all Nunavut communities by 2019 |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=10 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510224821/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cell-service-nunavut-communities-1.4296826 |url-status=live}} and Qiniq.{{Cite web |url=https://www.qiniq.com/ |title=Qiniq |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807173419/https://www.qiniq.com/ |url-status=live}}

Internet service is available through Northwestel, Ice Wireless, Qiniq (SSi Canada), Starlink and Meshnet.{{Cite web |url=https://nunavutnews.com/nunavut-news/editorial-take-a-second-look-at-your-internet-bill/ |title=Take a second look at your Internet bill |work=NUNAVUT NEWS |date=25 October 2018 |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=19 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719190112/https://nunavutnews.com/nunavut-news/editorial-take-a-second-look-at-your-internet-bill/ |url-status=live}} Meshnet Community WiFi is a free community WiFi and paid service available in most areas of the city. Free services include access to Isuma.tv, and many other resources.

• Nunatsiaq News
• News/North

File:CBC North studio Iqaluit.JPG radio, and the regional network centre for Nunavut for CBC North.]]

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{{More citations needed|1=section|date=December 2024}}

Iqaluit was served by CFFB-TV channel 8, a CBC Television/CBC North repeater of CFYK-DT (Yellowknife) until 31 July 2012 when it was closed because of budget cuts at the CBC.{{cite web |url=http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2012/04/04/ |title=Speaking notes for Hubert T. Lacroix regarding measures announced in the context of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan |website=cbc.radio-canada.ca |access-date=2 May 2018 |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20150101094100/http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/2012/04/04/ |archive-date=1 January 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-384.htm |title=ARCHIVED – Revocation of licences for the rebroadcasting stations CBIT Sydney and CBKST Saskatoon and licence amendment to remove analog transmitters for 23 English- and French-language television stations |publisher=Government of Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) |website=www.crtc.gc.ca |access-date=2 May 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728043036/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-384.htm |archive-date=28 July 2012 |date=17 July 2012}}

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• Eva Aariak, politician, former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and second Premier of Nunavut
• Paul-André Brasseur, former child actor
• Alexander Fathoullin, speed skater
• Ann Meekitjuk Hanson, former Commissioner of Nunavut
• Kenn Harper, grocer, amateur historian, and entrepreneur
• Lucie Idlout, rock singer, songwriter
• Matty McNair, US-born explorer
• Mosha Michael, filmmaker[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/inuk-filmmaker-mourned-1.860081 "Inuk filmmaker mourned"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001307/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/inuk-filmmaker-mourned-1.860081 |date=2 February 2017}}. CBC News, 20 November 2009.
• Simonie Michael, first Inuk to be elected to what is now the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in 1966[https://books.google.com/books?id=bKOxw3HB51YC&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=Simonie+Michael The road to Nunavut: the progress of the eastern Arctic Inuit since the Second World War] by Ronald Quinn Duffy
• Nakasuk, founder of Iqaluit
• Paul Okalik, lawyer, politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, first Premier of Nunavut and former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Unsuccessful federal Liberal candidate for Nunavut
• Abe Okpik, politician, worked on Project Surname to obtain family names for Inuit rather than disc numbers and first Inuk to sit (appointed) on what is now the NWT Legislative Assembly{{cite web |url=http://www.civilization.ca/media/docs/fs60s03e.html |title=Fact Sheet |language=fr |publisher=Civilization.ca |access-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605132728/http://www.civilization.ca/media/docs/fs60s03e.html |archive-date=5 June 2009}}
• Dennis Patterson, politician, former MLA and Premier of the NWT (prior to division), former Canadian Senator for Nunavut
• Bryan Pearson, politician, former MLA, first mayor of Iqaluit, businessman
• Ed Picco, politician, former MLA in NWT and Nunavut
• Annabella Piugattuk, actress
• Elisapee Sheutiapik, ex-politician & mayor
• Enooyaq Sudlovenick, marine biologist
• Hunter Tootoo, territorial and federal politician, and former speaker of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-mlas-choose-tootoo-as-new-speaker-1.993734 |title=Nunavut MLAs choose Tootoo as new Speaker |publisher=cbc.ca/news |date=31 May 2011 |access-date=31 July 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505173640/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2011/05/31/nunavut-legislature-spring.html |archive-date=5 May 2012}}
• Sheila Watt-Cloutier, politician, environmental activist, Nobel nominee
• Anna Lambe, actress

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• List of municipalities in Nunavut

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{{Reflist}}

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• 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 Educational Publishers Limited, 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|}}

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{{sister project links|wikt=y|auto=1}}

• {{Official website|https://www.iqaluit.ca/}}

{{Geographic location

| Northwest = Amadjuak Lake

| North = Auyuittuq National Park

| Northeast = Pangnirtung
Qikiqtarjuaq

| West =

| Centre = Iqaluit

| East =

| Southwest = Frobisher Bay

| South = Frobisher Bay

| Southeast = Frobisher Bay

}}

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Category:1942 establishments in Canada

Category:Cities in Nunavut

Category:Hudson's Bay Company trading posts in Nunavut

Category:Populated places established in 1942

Category:Populated places in Baffin Island

Category:Road-inaccessible communities of Nunavut