Nunavut#Government

{{Main|History of Nunavut}}

{{See also|Paleo-Eskimo|Pre-Dorset|Dorset culture|Thule people|Inuit}}

File:Dorset,_Norse,_and_Thule_cultures_900-1500.svg migration and Dorset decline]]

The region which is now mainland Nunavut was first populated approximately 4,500 years ago by the Pre-Dorset, a diverse Paleo-Eskimo culture that migrated eastward from the Bering Strait region.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/dorset-dna-genes-trace-tale-arctics-long-gone-hobbits-n191156|title=Dorset DNA: Genes Trace the Tale of the Arctic's Long-Gone 'Hobbits'|date=August 28, 2014|publisher=NBC News|language=en|access-date=2020-02-20|archive-date=April 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405011420/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/dorset-dna-genes-trace-tale-arctics-long-gone-hobbits-n191156|url-status=live}}

The Pre-Dorset culture was succeeded by the Dorset culture about 2,800 years ago.{{Cite journal|last=Houmard|first=Claire|date=2018-01-01|title=Cultural Continuity from Pre-Dorset to Dorset in the Eastern Canadian Arctic Highlighted by Bone Technology and Typology|journal=Arctic Anthropology|language=en|volume=55|issue=1|pages=24–47|doi=10.3368/aa.55.1.24|s2cid=165682039|issn=0066-6939}} Anthropologists and historians believe that the Dorset culture developed from the Pre-Dorset somehow.

Helluland, which Norse explorers described visiting in their Sagas of Icelanders, has been associated with Nunavut's Baffin Island. Claims of contact between the Dorset and Norse are controversial.{{cite web |title=Kimmirut site suggests early European contact |url=http://www.nunatsiaq.com/archives/2008/809/80912/news/nunavut/80912_1516.html |first=Jane |last=George |date=September 12, 2008 |work=Nunatsiaq News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819090152/http://www.nunatsiaq.com/archives/2008/809/80912/news/nunavut/80912_1516.html |archive-date=August 19, 2009}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/vikings-yarn-inuit-research-1.4757237|title=Ancient Arctic people may have known how to spin yarn long before Vikings arrived|last=Weber|first=Bob|date=22 July 2018|publisher=CBC|access-date=2 January 2019|quote=Michele Hayeur Smith of Brown University in Rhode Island, lead author of a recent paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science. Hayeur Smith and her colleagues were looking at scraps of yarn, perhaps used to hang amulets or decorate clothing, from ancient sites on Baffin Island and the Ungava Peninsula. The idea that you would have to learn to spin something from another culture was a bit ludicrous," she said. "It's a pretty intuitive thing to do.|archive-date=July 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724220418/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/vikings-yarn-inuit-research-1.4757237|url-status=live}}

The Thule people, ancestors of the modern Inuit, began migrating from Alaska in the 11th century into the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. By 1300, the geographic extent of Thule settlement included most of modern Nunavut.

The migration of the Thule people coincides with the decline of the Dorset.{{Cite journal|last=Friesen|first=T. Max|date=2004-12-01|title=Contemporaneity of Dorset and Thule Cultures in the North American Arctic: New Radiocarbon Dates from Victoria Island, Nunavut|journal=Current Anthropology|volume=45|issue=5|pages=685–691|doi=10.1086/425635|s2cid=145207595|issn=0011-3204}} Thule people genetically and culturally completely replaced Dorset some time after 1300.{{cite news |title=New Study Offers Clues to Swift Arctic Extinction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/science/study-offers-clues-to-arctic-mystery-paleo-eskimos-abrupt-extinction.html |work=The New York Times |date=August 28, 2014 |archive-date=March 6, 2024 |access-date=June 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306234102/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/science/study-offers-clues-to-arctic-mystery-paleo-eskimos-abrupt-extinction.html |url-status=live }}

File:North Hendon Igloos.jpg in the 1830s, during John Ross' second expedition to find the Northwest Passage]]

The earliest written historical account of the area is dated to 1576, an account by English explorer Martin Frobisher. While leading an expedition to find the Northwest Passage, Frobisher thought he had discovered gold ore around the body of water now known as Frobisher Bay on the coast of Baffin Island.[http://www.mapleleafweb.com/old/features/nunavut/intro.html "Nunavut: The Story of Canada's {{sic|Inuit People|nolink=yes}}"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071003123506/http://www.mapleleafweb.com/old/features/nunavut/intro.html |date=October 3, 2007 }}, Maple Leaf Web The ore turned out to be worthless, but Frobisher made the first recorded European contact with the Inuit. Other explorers in search of the elusive Northwest Passage followed in the 17th century, including Henry Hudson, William Baffin and Robert Bylot.

Cornwallis and Ellesmere Islands featured in the history of the Cold War in the 1950s. Concerned about the area's strategic geopolitical position, the federal government, as part of the High Arctic relocation, relocated Inuit from Nunavik (northern Quebec) to Resolute and Grise Fiord. In the unfamiliar and hostile conditions, they faced starvation{{cite web|url=http://www.grisefiord.ca/eng/history.html|title=Grise Fiord: History|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228115824/http://www.grisefiord.ca/eng/history.html|archive-date=December 28, 2008|df=mdy-all}} but were forced to stay.McGrath, Melanie. The Long Exile: A Tale of Inuit Betrayal and Survival in the High Arctic. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Hardcover: {{ISBN|978-0-00-715796-9}} Paperback: {{ISBN|978-0-00-715797-6}}

• Forty years later, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued a 1994 report titled The High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953–55 Relocation.{{cite web|url=http://www.fedpubs.com/subject/aborig/arctic_reloc.htm |title=The High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953–55 Relocation |year=1994 |author=René Dussault and George Erasmus |work=Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples|publisher=Canadian Government Publishing |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001232453/http://www.fedpubs.com/subject/aborig/arctic_reloc.htm |archive-date=October 1, 2009 |df=mdy }} The government paid compensation to those affected and their descendants.
• On August 18, 2010, in Inukjuak, the Honourable John Duncan, PC, MP, previously Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, formally apologized on behalf of the Government of Canada for the High Arctic relocation.{{cite news

| last = Royte

| first = Elizabeth

| title = Trail of Tears (review of Melanie McGrath, The Long Exile: A Tale of Inuit Betrayal and Survival in the High Arctic (2006)

| work=The New York Times

| date = April 8, 2007

| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/books/review/Ro.t.html?ex=1188964800&en=4b6eb6a89d7e85dd&ei=5070

}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100016115/1100100016116|title=Apology for the Inuit High Arctic relocation|publisher=Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Communications Branch|website=www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca|access-date=2017-01-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109183835/http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100016115/1100100016116|archive-date=January 9, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

Discussions on dividing the Northwest Territories along ethnic lines began in the 1950s, and legislation to achieve this was introduced in 1963. After its failure, a federal commission recommended against such a measure.{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/visitors/creation-new-nwt|title=Creation of a New Northwest Territories|publisher=Legislative Assembly of The Northwest Territories|access-date=January 4, 2021|archive-date=July 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722200332/https://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/visitors/creation-new-nwt|url-status=live}}

During the 1970s, activism increased among the Inuit, First Nations, and Innu peoples for recognition of their forced assimilation. In 1976, as part of the land claims negotiations between the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (then called the "Inuit Tapirisat of Canada") and the federal government, the parties discussed division of the Northwest Territories to provide a separate territory for the Inuit. On April 14, 1982, a plebiscite on division was held throughout the Northwest Territories. A majority of the residents voted in favour and the federal government gave a conditional agreement seven months later.{{cite web |url=http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/~agraham/jull/buildnun.htm |title=Building Nunavut: A Story of Inuit Self-Government |author=Peter Jull |work=The Northern Review |volume=1 |date=Summer 1988 |pages=59–72 |publisher=Yukon College |access-date=February 16, 2009 |author-link=Peter Jull |archive-date=May 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512021141/http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/~agraham/jull/buildnun.htm |url-status=dead }}

File:Nunavut-Feierlichkeit.jpg

The land claims agreement was completed in September 1992 and ratified by nearly 85% of the voters in Nunavut in a referendum. On July 9, 1993, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act were passed by the Canadian Parliament. The transition to establish Nunavut Territory was completed on April 1, 1999.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/photos/creation-of-nunavut-april-1-1999-1.1434723 |title=Creation of Nunavut |year=2006 |access-date=April 26, 2007 |publisher=CBC |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108003451/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/photos/creation-of-nunavut-april-1-1999-1.1434723 |url-status=live }}

In 2020, Nunavut imposed strict travel regulations in order to prevent an outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government barred entry to almost all non-residents.{{Cite news|date=2020-10-19|title=Coronavirus: The place in North America with no cases|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54405736|access-date=2020-10-24|archive-date=October 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019002230/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54405736|url-status=live}} On November 6, 2020, Nunavut confirmed its first case in Sanikiluaq, having previously been the only place in North America to have had no cases of COVID-19.{{cite news | last = Murphy | first = Jessica | date = October 19, 2020 | title = Coronavirus: The place in North America with No Cases | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54405736 | work = BBC | archive-date = October 19, 2020 | access-date = October 24, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201019002230/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54405736 | url-status = live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-confirms-1st-covid-19-case-1.5792736 |title=Nunavut confirms 1st case of COVID-19 |publisher=CBC |date=2020-11-06 |access-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117005859/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-confirms-1st-covid-19-case-1.5792736 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Geography of Nunavut}}

File:An aerial photo of Nunavut near the Roes Welcome Sound on April 22, 2017.jpg on April 22, 2017]]

Nunavut covers {{cvt|1,836,993.78|km2}} of land and {{convert|62137|mi2|abbr=on|order=flip}}{{cite web |title=Nunavut |url=http://www.canadafaq.ca/nunavut/ |website=CanadaFAQ.ca |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=April 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430035033/http://www.canadafaq.ca/nunavut/ |url-status=live }} of water in Northern Canada. The territory includes a substantial part of the mainland, most of the Arctic Archipelago, and the waters and islands of Hudson Bay, James Bay, and Ungava Bay; this includes the distant Belcher Islands and Akimiski Island, which were part of the Northwest Territories from which Nunavut was separated. This makes it the fifth-largest subnational entity (or administrative division) in the world. If Nunavut were a country, it would rank 15th in area.See List of countries and outlying territories by total area

Nunavut has long land borders with the Northwest Territories on the mainland and a few Arctic islands, and with Manitoba to the south of the Nunavut mainland; it also meets Saskatchewan to the southwest at a quadripoint, and has a short land border with Newfoundland and Labrador on Killiniq Island. The boundary with the Northwest Territories roughly approximates the tree line in Canada.{{Cite book|last=Heidt|first=Daniel|url=https://prism.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/handle/1880/108896/9781773850160_chapter11.pdf|title=RECONSIDERING CONFEDERATION: Canada's Founding Debates, 1864–1999|publisher=University of Calgary|year=2018|isbn=978-1-77385-016-0|pages=263–264|quote=a new Northwest Territories and Nunavut ("our land" in Inuktitut)—were created when the federal government redrew the boundaries in Canada's North, splitting off the central and eastern Canadian Arctic north and east of the tree-line from the rest of the Northwest Territories.}} Nunavut shares maritime borders with the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba; these run along the shoreline of those provinces to include the entirety of the involved bays under Nunavut jurisdiction, rather than the usual arrangement of running through the middle of a body of water.{{Cite news |last=Hicks |first=Ryan |date=October 8, 2015 |title=Quebec calls for 'urgent' extension of northern border |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-calls-for-urgent-extension-of-northern-border-1.3261668 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=CBC}} With Greenland, a constituent country of the Danish Realm, it shares a primarily maritime international border that includes a short land border on Hans Island.

Nunavut's highest point is Barbeau Peak ({{cvt|2616|m}}) on Ellesmere Island. The population density is {{Pop density|39589|1836994|km2|sqmi|prec=3}}, one of the lowest in the world. By comparison, Greenland has approximately the same area and nearly twice the population.{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greenland/ |title=Greenland |work=CIA World Factbook |publisher=CIA |access-date=February 16, 2011 |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109162939/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greenland/ |url-status=live }}

File:Nunavut Köppen.svg in Nunavut]]

Nunavut experiences a polar climate in most regions, owing to its high latitude and lower continental summertime influence than areas to the west. In more southerly continental areas, very cold subarctic climates can be found, due to July being slightly milder than the required {{convert|10|C}}.

{{Iqaluit weatherbox}}

{{Main|Demographics of Nunavut}}

{{See also|List of municipalities in Nunavut}}

{{Pie chart

| caption = Visible minority and Indigenous identity (2016):{{cite web | title=Aboriginal Peoples Highlight Tables | work=2016 Census | publisher=Statistics Canada | year=2019 | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/abo-aut/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&S=99&O=A&RPP=25 | access-date=July 16, 2019 | archive-date=October 21, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021041920/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/abo-aut/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&S=99&O=A&RPP=25 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | title=Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity Highlight Tables | work=2016 Census | publisher=Statistics Canada | year=2019 | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/imm/Table.cfm?Lang=E&T=41&Geo=00&SP=1&vismin=2&age=1&sex=1 | access-date=July 16, 2019 | archive-date=November 12, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112015204/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/imm/Table.cfm?Lang=E | url-status=live }}

| other =

| label2 = European Canadian

| value2 = 11.6

| color2 = #d8d8d8

| label3 = Visible minority

| value3 = 2.5

| color3 = #a0a0a0

| label4 = First Nations

| value4 = 0.5

| color4 = #ba1d1d

| label5 = Métis

| value5 = 0.5

| color5 = #3183d6

| label1 = Inuit

| value1 = 84.7

| color1 = #efce15

| label6 = Other Indigenous responses

| value6 = 0.2

| color6 = #000000

}}

Nunavut has a population of 36,858 from the 2021 Census. In 2021, 30,865 people identified as Inuit (84.3% of the total population), 180 as First Nations (0.5%), 120 as Métis (0.3%), 230 with multiple or other Indigenous responses (0.6%), and 5,210 as non-Indigenous (14.2%).{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A000262&SearchText=Nunavut | title=2021 Census of Population | publisher=Statistics Canada | year=2021 | access-date=April 6, 2023 | archive-date=March 30, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330174741/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Nunavut&DGUIDlist=2021A000262&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0 | url-status=live }}

The population growth rate of Nunavut has been well above the Canadian average for several decades, mostly due to birth rates significantly higher than the Canadian average—a trend that continues. Between 2011 and 2016, Nunavut had the highest population growth rate of any Canadian province or territory, at a rate of 12.7%.{{Cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=101&SR=1&S=3&O=D#tPopDwell |title=Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=2017-02-08 |date=February 8, 2017 |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211082232/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=101&SR=1&S=3&O=D#tPopDwell |url-status=live }} The second-highest was Alberta, with a growth rate of 11.6%. Between 2016 and 2021, the population growth increased by 2.5% (the third lowest), a decrease of 10.2 percentiles from the previous census.

File:Igloolik Airport Sign.png, with text in Inuktitut, English, and French{{efn|"Northwest Territories" is written at the bottom, as the sign predates the creation of Nunavut.}}]]

Official languages are the Inuit language (Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun), known as Inuktut,{{cite web|url=https://gov.nu.ca/culture-and-heritage/information/we-speak-inuktut|title=We Speak Inuktut|publisher=Government of Nunavut, Department of Culture and Heritage|access-date=2023-04-16|archive-date=August 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816202346/https://gov.nu.ca/culture-and-heritage/information/we-speak-inuktut|url-status=dead}} English, and French.{{cite web |url=https://www.canlii.org/en/nu/laws/stat/csnu-c-o-20/latest/csnu-c-o-20.html |title=Consolidation of (S.Nu. 2008, c.10) (NIF) Official Languages Act }} and {{cite web |url=https://www.canlii.org/en/nu/laws/stat/csnu-c-i-140/latest/csnu-c-i-140.html |title=Consolidation of Inuit Language Protection Act |publisher=Government of Nunavut |access-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-date=July 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710172736/https://www.canlii.org/en/nu/laws/stat/csnu-c-i-140/latest/csnu-c-i-140.html |url-status=live }}[https://langcom.nu.ca/investigation-process/your-linguistic-rights Your Linguistic Rights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808203114/https://langcom.nu.ca/investigation-process/your-linguistic-rights |date=August 8, 2024 }} at the Office of the Language Commissioner of Nunavut

In his 2000 commissioned report ({{lang|iu|Aajiiqatigiingniq|italic=unset}} Language of Instruction Research Paper) to the Nunavut Department of Education, Ian Martin of York University said that a "long-term threat to Inuit languages from English is found everywhere, and current school language policies and practices on language are contributing to that threat" if Nunavut schools follow the Northwest Territories model. He provided a 20-year language plan to create a "fully functional bilingual society, in Inuktitut and English" by 2020.{{cite web|url=https://assembly.nu.ca/library/GNedocs/2000/000076-e.pdf|title=Aajiiqatigiingniq Language of Instruction Research Paper|author=Ian Martin|date=December 2000|page=i|access-date=March 15, 2021|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816115640/https://assembly.nu.ca/library/GNedocs/2000/000076-e.pdf|url-status=live}}{{update inline|date=September 2020}}

The plan provided different models, including:

• "Qulliq Model", for most Nunavut communities, with Inuktitut to be the main language of instruction.
• "Inuinnaqtun Immersion Model", for language reclamation and immersion to revitalize Inuinnaqtun as a living language.
• "Mixed Population Model", mainly for Iqaluit (possibly for Rankin Inlet), where the population is 40% {{lang|iu|Qallunaat}}, or non-Inuit, and may have different requirements.{{cite web |author=Board of Education |title=Summary of Aajiiqatigiingniq |publisher=gov.nu.ca |year=2000 |url=http://www.gov.nu.ca/education/eng/pubdoc/Aajjiqatigiingnisumeng.pdf |access-date=October 27, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071015174251/http://www.gov.nu.ca/education/eng/pubdoc/Aajjiqatigiingnisumeng.pdf |archive-date = October 15, 2007}}

Of the 34,960 responses to the census question concerning "mother tongue" in the 2016 census, the most commonly reported languages in Nunavut were:

At the time of the census, only English and French were counted as official languages. Figures shown are for single-language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=89201&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=701&Temporal=2006&Theme=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&GID=838093 |title=Detailed Mother Tongue (186), Knowledge of Official Languages (5), Age Groups (17A) (3) (2006 Census) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=December 7, 2010 |access-date=February 16, 2011 |archive-date=June 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605023450/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=89201&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=701&Temporal=2006&Theme=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&GID=838093 |url-status=dead }}

In the 2016 census it was reported that 2,045 people (5.8%) living in Nunavut had no knowledge of either official language of Canada (English or French).[http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo15-eng.htm Population by knowledge of official language, by province and territory (2006 Census)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115061228/http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo15-eng.htm |date=January 15, 2011 }}. Statistics Canada. Retrieved January 15, 2010. The 2016 census also reported that of the 30,135 Inuit in Nunavut, 90.7% could speak either Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun.{{citation needed |reason=I can't find this figure out 90.7% speaking Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun in the 2016 census website |date=September 2018 }}

In the 2021 census, Christianity (mainly Anglicanism) constituted 73.5% of Nunavut's population, down from 86% in the 2011 Census. The percentage of population which is non-religious has grown from 13% in 2011 to 24.9% in 2021 Census. About 1.6% of the population reported another religious affiliation including Aboriginal spirituality, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and others.{{cite web |url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm?HPA |title=Religions in Canada—Census 2011 |date=May 8, 2013 |publisher=Statistics Canada/Statistique Canada |access-date=May 21, 2020 |archive-date=December 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219142107/http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm?HPA |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/mc-b001-eng.htm|title=In 2021, more than half of the population of British Columbia and Yukon reported having no religion, while the Christian religion was predominant in the other provinces and territories|date=October 26, 2022|access-date=26 November 2022|archive-date=November 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126100641/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/mc-b001-eng.htm|url-status=live}}

{{more citations needed|section|date=March 2018}}

File:CHARS construction 2016 03.jpg in Nunavut.]]

The economy of Nunavut is driven by the Inuit and Territorial Government, mining, oil, gas, and mineral exploration, arts, crafts, hunting, fishing, whaling, tourism, transportation, housing development, military, research, and education. Currently, one college operates in Nunavut, the Nunavut Arctic College, as well as several Arctic research stations located within the territory. The new Canadian High Arctic Research Station CHARS is planning for Cambridge Bay and high north Alert Bay Station.

Iqaluit hosts the annual Nunavut Mining Symposium every April,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nunavutminingsymposium.ca/travel/|title=Travel|website=Nunavut Mining Symposium|language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-17|archive-date=June 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618025532/https://www.nunavutminingsymposium.ca/travel/|url-status=dead}} a tradeshow that showcases the many economic activities ongoing in Nunavut.

Baffinland is the territory's largest private sector employer with more than 2,600 workers and accounted for 23 per cent of Nunavut's economic activity in 2019.{{cite web |last1=Venn |first1=David |title=Vandal rejects Baffinland's Phase 2 expansion; company expected to release statement Thursday |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/vandal-rejects-baffinlands-phase-2-expansion-agrees-with-review-board/ |website=Nunatsiaq News |date=November 16, 2022 |publisher=Nortext Publishing Corporation (Iqaluit) |access-date=17 December 2022 |archive-date=December 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217171317/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/vandal-rejects-baffinlands-phase-2-expansion-agrees-with-review-board/ |url-status=live }}

There are currently three major mines in operation in Nunavut. Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd – Meadowbank Division. Meadowbank Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine with an estimated mine life 2010–2020 and employs 680 people.

The second mine in production is the Mary River Iron Ore mine operated by Baffinland Iron Mines. It is located close to Pond Inlet on North Baffin Island. They produce a high grade direct ship iron ore.

File:Hope Bay Gold Mine 04.jpg gold mine is one of three major mines in the territory.]]

The most recent mine to open is Doris North or the Hope Bay Mine operated near Hope Bay Aerodrome by TMAC Resource Ltd. This new high grade gold mine is the first in a series of potential mines in gold occurrences all along the Hope Bay greenstone belt.

File:Jericho Diamond Mine pit Nunavut Canada.jpg is a dormant mine in Nunavut, that operated from 2006 to 2008.]]

• Lupin Mine 1982–2005, gold, current owner Elgin Mining Ltd (located near the Northwest Territories boundary near Contwoyto Lake){{cite web|url=http://www.wolfdenresources.com/what_we_do/developmentprojects.aspx |title=Development projects |publisher=Wolfden Resources |date=August 31, 2007 |access-date=February 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719141505/http://www.wolfdenresources.com/what_we_do/developmentProjects.aspx |archive-date=July 19, 2008 |df=mdy }}
• Polaris Mine 1982–2002, lead and zinc (located on Little Cornwallis Island, not far from Resolute)
• Nanisivik Mine 1976–2002, lead and zinc, prior owner Breakwater Resources Ltd (near Arctic Bay) at Nanisivik
• Rankin Nickel Mine 1957–1962, nickel, copper and platinum group metals
• Jericho Diamond Mine 2006–2008, diamond (located 400 km, 250 mi, northeast of Yellowknife) 2012 produced diamonds from existing stockpile. No new mining; closed.
• Doris North Gold Mine Newmont Mining approx {{convert|3|km|mi|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} underground drifting/mining, none milled or processed. Newmont closed the mine and sold it to TMAC Resources in 2013. TMAC has now reached commercial production in 2017.

{{further|Global warming in the Arctic}}

File:Rankin Inlet Diesel Power Station.jpg in Rankin Inlet]]

Nunavut's people rely primarily on diesel fuel{{cite web|url=http://www.albertaoilmagazine.com/2011/07/canada%E2%80%99s-north-struggles-to-generate-a-cleaner-electricity-future/|title=Canada's North struggles to ditch diesel|work=Alberta Oil Magazine|access-date=April 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004232450/http://www.albertaoilmagazine.com/2011/07/canada%E2%80%99s-north-struggles-to-generate-a-cleaner-electricity-future/|archive-date=October 4, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} to run generators and heat homes, with fossil fuel shipments from southern Canada by plane or boat because there are few to no roads or rail links to the region.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-07/nunavut-region-to-boost-renewable-power-to-offset-climate-change|title=Nunavut Region to Boost Renewable Power to Offset Climate Change|first=Jeremy|last=Van Loon|publisher=Bloomberg|date=December 7, 2011|archive-date=October 11, 2017|access-date=March 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011170602/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-07/nunavut-region-to-boost-renewable-power-to-offset-climate-change|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=Power Shift in Remote Indigenous Communities |url=https://www.pembina.org/pub/indigenous-power-shift |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.pembina.org |language=en}} There is a government effort to use more renewable energy sources,{{cite journal|last=McDonald|first=N.C.|author2=J.M. Pearce|title=Renewable Energy Policies and Programs in Nunavut: Perspectives from the Federal and Territorial Governments|journal=Arctic|year=2012|volume=65|issue=4|pages=465–475|doi=10.14430/arctic4244|doi-access=free}}{{Cite web |title=Future of Renewable Energy in Canada's Arctic -- FRENCA - University of Victoria |url=https://www.uvic.ca/science/seos/research/FRENCA/FRENCA.php |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=UVic.ca |language=en}} which is generally supported by the community.Nicole C. McDonald & Joshua M. Pearce, [http://arctic.synergiesprairies.ca/arctic/index.php/arctic/article/view/4269 "Community Voices: Perspectives on Renewable Energy in Nunavut"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709005157/http://arctic.synergiesprairies.ca/arctic/index.php/arctic/article/view/4269 |date=July 9, 2013 }}, Arctic 66(1), pp. 94–104 (2013).

This support comes from Nunavut feeling the effects of global warming.[https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100027837/1100100027839 Nunavut and Climate Change] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414162142/https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100027837/1100100027839 |date=April 14, 2013 }}, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada{{cite web|url=http://climatechangenunavut.ca/en/understanding-climate-change/climate-change-faq|title=Climate Change FAQ|publisher=Climate Change Nunavut|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709090455/http://climatechangenunavut.ca/en/understanding-climate-change/climate-change-faq|archive-date=July 9, 2013|df=mdy-all}} Former Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak said in 2011, "Climate change is very much upon us. It is affecting our hunters, the animals, the thinning of the ice is a big concern, as well as erosion from permafrost melting." The region is warming about twice as fast as the global average, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

{{see also|Highways in Nunavut|List of airports in Nunavut}}

Northern Transportation Company Limited, owned by Norterra, a holding company that was, until April 1, 2014, jointly owned by the Inuvialuit of the Northwest Territories and the Inuit of Nunavut.[http://www.norterra.com/oc_1.html The NorTerra Group of Companies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204065418/http://www.norterra.com/oc_1.html |date=December 4, 2008 }}, corporate website[http://www.norterra.com/oocntcl.html Northern Transportation Company Limited at NorTerra] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312215435/http://www.norterra.com/oocntcl.html |date=March 12, 2008 }}, corporate website{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunasi-corp-sells-its-stake-in-norterra-canadian-north-1.2594298|title=Nunasi Corp. sells its stake in NorTerra, Canadian North|date=April 1, 2014|access-date=April 2, 2014|archive-date=April 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402113134/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunasi-corp-sells-its-stake-in-norterra-canadian-north-1.2594298|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunasi_corp._sells_stake_in_norterra/|title=NunatsiaqOnline 2014-04-01: NEWS: Nunasi Corp. sells its half of Norterra to the Inuvialuit|date=April 2014|access-date=April 2, 2014|archive-date=April 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061444/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunasi_corp._sells_stake_in_norterra/|url-status=dead}}

{{main|Tourism in Nunavut}}

In the second half of 2018 travellers visited Nunavut 134,000 times and spent $436 million. Two-thirds of those visits were by Nunavummiut (residents of Nunavut) travelling within the territory. The remaining came from outside other provinces or territories in Canada, or from abroad and spent $219 million. Travellers from Ontario make up the largest portion of visitors from outside the territory. The majority of visitors from outside of Nunavut are business travellers; in the second half of 2018 only 14% of visitors were in the territory for leisure.{{Cite web|title=Annual Tourism Report 2018-2019|url=https://assembly.nu.ca/sites/default/files/TD-209-5(2)-EN-2018-2019-Annual-Report-Tourism.pdf|publisher=Legislative Assembly of Nunavut}} Tourism recreation in Nunavut include activities like dog sledding, snowmobiling, cultural festivals, hiking, arctic wildlife safaris and sea kayaking.{{Cite web|last=Ferguson|first=Mikaela|date=September 1, 2019|title=The Ultimate Nunavut Travel Guide|url=https://www.voyageurtripper.com/travelling-to-nunavut-ultimate-guide/}}

File:CBC North studio Iqaluit.JPG in Iqaluit]]

The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation is based in Nunavut. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) serves Nunavut through a radio and television production centre in Iqaluit, and a bureau in Rankin Inlet. Iqaluit is served by private commercial radio stations CKIQ-FM and CKGC-FM, both owned by Northern Lights Entertainment Inc. (CKIQ-FM had a rebroadcaster in Rankin Inlet that was discontinued in 2009.)

Nunavut is served by two regional weekly newspapers, Nunatsiaq News published by Nortext, and Nunavut News/North, published by Northern News Services, who also publish the multi-territory regional Kivalliq News.{{cite web |url=http://www.altstuff.com/newsnu.htm |title=Newspapers in Nunavut |website=Altstuff.com |access-date=November 10, 2011 |archive-date=November 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117082227/http://www.altstuff.com/newsnu.htm |url-status=live }}

The film production company Isuma is based in Igloolik. Co-founded by Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn in 1990, the company produced the 1999 feature Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, winner of the Caméra d'Or for Best First Feature Film at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. It was the first feature film written, directed, and acted entirely in Inuktitut.

The National Film Board (NFB) has released Animation from Cape Dorset (1973),{{Cite web |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/animation_from_cape_dorset/ |title=Animation from Cape Dorset |access-date=August 9, 2023 |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810231411/https://www.nfb.ca/film/animation_from_cape_dorset/ |url-status=live }} a "collection assembles the first animated films to be made by Inuit artists at the NFB. Featured is work by Solomonie Pootoogook, Timmun Alariaq, Mathew Joanasie, and Itee Pootoogook Pilaloosie—all participants in the Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset) Film Animation Workshop on Baffin Island."

In November 2006, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation announced the start of the Nunavut Animation Lab, offering animation training to Nunavut artists at workshops in Iqaluit, Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung.{{cite news|last=George|first=Jane|title=Nunavut's getting animated|url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/archives/61103/news/nunavut/61103_06.html|access-date=November 8, 2011|newspaper=Nunatsiaq News|date=November 3, 2006|archive-date=March 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310003128/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/archives/61103/news/nunavut/61103_06.html|url-status=live}} Films from the Nunavut Animation Lab include Alethea Arnaquq-Baril's 2010 digital animation short Lumaajuuq, winner of the Best Aboriginal Award at the Golden Sheaf Awards and named Best Canadian Short Drama at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.{{cite web|title=Nunavut Animation Lab: Lumaajuuq|url=http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/collection/film/?id=57615|work=Collection|publisher=National Film Board of Canada|access-date=November 8, 2011}}

In November 2011, the Government of Nunavut and the NFB jointly announced the launch of a DVD and online collection entitled Unikkausivut (Inuktitut: Sharing Our Stories), which will make over 100 NFB films by and about Inuit available in Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and other Inuit languages, as well as English and French. The Government of Nunavut is distributing Unikkausivut to every school in the territory.{{cite news|title=Inuit films move online and into northern communities|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/inuit-films-move-online-and-into-northern-communities-1.1044506|access-date=November 5, 2011|newspaper=CBC News|date=November 2, 2011|archive-date=October 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010235859/http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/inuit-films-move-online-and-into-northern-communities-1.1044506|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=New NFB collection includes 24 films on or by Inuit|url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674new_nfb_collection_includes_24_films_on_or_by_inuit/|access-date=November 7, 2011|newspaper=Nunatsiaq News|date=November 4, 2011|archive-date=March 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310004136/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674new_nfb_collection_includes_24_films_on_or_by_inuit/|url-status=live}}

{{main|Music of Nunavut}}

File:Drumdance.jpg]]

The music of Nunavut includes Inuit throat singing and drum-led dancing, along with country music, bluegrass, fiddling, square dancing and the button accordion from Austria.

Artcirq is a collective of Inuit circus performers based in Igloolik.{{cite journal |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2009/1222/Bringing-circus-and-new-hope-to-a-remote-Arctic-village |title=Bringing circus – and new hope – to a remote Arctic village |access-date=December 28, 2009 |journal=Christian Science Monitor |date=December 22, 2009 |archive-date=December 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224213443/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2009/1222/Bringing-circus-and-new-hope-to-a-remote-Arctic-village |url-status=live }} The group has performed around the world, including at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Nunavut competes at the Arctic Winter Games. Iqaluit co-hosted the 2002 edition in partnership with Nuuk, Greenland.

Hockey Nunavut was founded in 1999 and competes in the Maritime-Hockey North Junior C Championship.

{{anchor|Government}}

The commissioner of Nunavut is appointed by the Governor-in-Council, consisting of the governor general of Canada and the federal Cabinet.{{cite web|url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2019/07/governor-in-council/ |title=Governor in Council|date=July 4, 2019|access-date=February 20, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2021/06/10/prime-minister-announces-reappointments-commissioner-northwest|title=Prime Minister announces the reappointments of the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories and the Administrator of Yukon|date=June 10, 2021|access-date=February 20, 2023|archive-date=February 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220204805/https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2021/06/10/prime-minister-announces-reappointments-commissioner-northwest|url-status=live}} As in the other territories, the commissioner's role is symbolic and is analogous to that of a lieutenant-governor.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nellie-kusugak-named-as-new-nunavut-commissioner-1.3124575 |title=Nellie Kusugak named as new Nunavut commissioner |website=CBC News |date=June 23, 2015 |access-date=April 9, 2017 |archive-date=April 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410051238/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nellie-kusugak-named-as-new-nunavut-commissioner-1.3124575 |url-status=live }} While the commissioner is not a representative of the Canadian monarch, a role roughly analogous to representing the Crown has accrued to the position.

Nunavut elects a single member of the House of Commons of Canada. This makes Nunavut the second largest electoral district in the world by area after Greenland. Lori Idlout of the New Democratic Party became Nunavut's MP in the 2021 election.

File:Leg Building Iqaluit 2000-08-27.jpg in Iqaluit. The building is home to the territory's legislative assembly.]]

The members of the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Nunavut are elected individually; there are no parties and the legislature is consensus-based.{{cite news | url= http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/politics/provincial-territorial-politics/on-the-nunavut-campaign-trail/topic-on-the-nunavut-campaign-trail.html | author= CBC Digital Archives | author-link= Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | title= On the Nunavut Campaign Trail | year= 2006 | access-date= April 26, 2007 | work= CBC News | archive-date= November 6, 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121106082420/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/politics/provincial-territorial-politics/on-the-nunavut-campaign-trail/topic-on-the-nunavut-campaign-trail.html | url-status= live }} The head of government, the premier of Nunavut, is elected by and from the members of the legislative assembly. The executive council, which includes the premier and eight ministers, is also elected by the Legislative Assembly from among the Assembly members. On June 14, 2018, Joe Savikataaq was elected as the premier, after his predecessor Paul Quassa lost a non-confidence motion.{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/after-paul-quassa-ejected-nunavut-chooses-deputy-as-new-premier-1.3972943|title=After Paul Quassa ejected, Nunavut chooses deputy as new premier|first=Bob|last=Weber|date=June 14, 2018|access-date=June 15, 2018|archive-date=June 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615205348/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/after-paul-quassa-ejected-nunavut-chooses-deputy-as-new-premier-1.3972943|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-premier-non-confidence-motion-1.4704708|title=Joe Savikataaq is the new premier of Nunavut, after non-confidence vote ousts former leader|website=CBC News North|first=Sara|last=Frizell|date=June 14, 2018|access-date=June 15, 2018|archive-date=April 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409130129/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-premier-non-confidence-motion-1.4704708|url-status=live}} Former premier Paul Okalik set up an advisory council of eleven elders, whose function it is to help incorporate "Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit" (Inuit culture and traditional knowledge, often referred to in English as "IQ") into the territory's political and governmental decisions.{{cite web |title=GN appoints IQ advisory council |website=Nunatsiaq Online |url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/archives/30912/news/nunavut/briefs.html |date=September 12, 2003 |access-date=April 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410051354/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/archives/30912/news/nunavut/briefs.html |archive-date=April 10, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}

Due to the territory's small population, and the fact that there are only a few hundred voters in each electoral district, the possibility of two election candidates finishing in an exact tie is significantly higher than in any Canadian province. This has actually happened twice in the five elections to date, with exact ties in Akulliq in the 2008 Nunavut general election and in Rankin Inlet South in the 2013 Nunavut general election. In such an event, Nunavut's practice is to schedule a follow-up by-election rather than choosing the winning candidate by an arbitrary method. The territory has also had numerous instances where MLAs were directly acclaimed to office as the only person to register their candidacy by the deadline, as well as one instance where a follow-up by-election had to be held due to no candidates registering for the regular election in their district at all.

Owing to Nunavut's vast size, the stated goal of the territorial government has been to decentralize governance beyond the region's capital. Three regions—Kitikmeot, Kivalliq and Qikiqtaaluk (formerly Baffin)—are the basis for more localized administration, although they lack autonomous governments of their own.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

File:Nattinnak Visitor Centre and Library.JPG includes a branch of the Nunavut Public Library Services.]]

Qiniq, a satellite network company, provides broadband Internet access to 25 communities in Nunavut.{{cite web |last1=Bell |first1=Jim |title=Nunavut's telecom network may face a meltdown from overuse, ISP warns |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/nunavuts-telecom-network-may-face-a-meltdown-from-overuse-isp-warns/ |website=Nunatsiaq News |date=March 24, 2020 |access-date=4 June 2024 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604035231/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/nunavuts-telecom-network-may-face-a-meltdown-from-overuse-isp-warns/ |url-status=live }} There is a lack of competition in regards to internet service providers operating in Nunavut and demand for reliable internet exceeds capacity.{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Beth |title=Where's the faster internet? Nunavut senator blasts Northwestel for holding near monopoly |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-senator-says-northwestel-is-creating-a-monopoly-with-public-funds-1.5696071 |website=CBC News |access-date=4 June 2024 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604035230/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-senator-says-northwestel-is-creating-a-monopoly-with-public-funds-1.5696071 |url-status=live }} The Nunavut Public Library Services, the public library system serving the territory, also provides various information services to the territory.

In September 2012, Premier Aariak welcomed Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, to Nunavut as part of the events marking the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/prince-edward-and-wife-sophie-arrive-in-iqaluit-1.1140375 |title=Prince Edward and wife Sophie arrive in Iqaluit |date=September 13, 2012 |work=CBC News |archive-date=April 12, 2017 |access-date=April 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412224648/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/prince-edward-and-wife-sophie-arrive-in-iqaluit-1.1140375 |url-status=live }}

{{further|List of regions of Nunavut}}

File:Map of the Nunavut regions.png

Nunavut is divided into three administrative regions, the Kitikmeot Region, the Kivalliq Region, and the Qikiqtaaluk Region.

The first design for Nunavut's licence plate was originally created for the Northwest Territories in the 1970s. The plate has long been famous worldwide for its unique design in the shape of a polar bear.

Nunavut was licensed by the NWT to use the same licence plate design in 1999 when it became a separate territory,{{cite journal|url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674gn_launches_new_license_plate/|journal=Nunatsiaq Online|title=GN launches new license plate|date=March 6, 2012|author=Sarah Rogers|archive-date=May 14, 2013|access-date=April 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514051559/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674gn_launches_new_license_plate/|url-status=live}} but adopted its own plate design in March 2012 for launch in August 2012—a rectangle that prominently features the northern lights, a polar bear and an inuksuk.{{cite web |url=http://www.15q.net/nu.html |title=Nunavut licence plates 1999–present |publisher=15q.net |access-date=February 16, 2011 |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204053435/http://www.15q.net/nu.html |url-status=live }}

{{see also|Symbols of Nunavut}}

The flag and the coat of arms of Nunavut were designed by Andrew Qappik from Pangnirtung.{{Cite web

| url= https://assembly.nu.ca/about-legislative-assembly/coat-arms-nunavut

| title= The Coat of Arms of Nunavut

| publisher= The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut

| access-date= 13 September 2019

| archive-date= September 28, 2019

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190928041108/https://assembly.nu.ca/about-legislative-assembly/coat-arms-nunavut

| url-status= live

}}

{{See also|List of areas disputed by Canada and the United States}}

A long-simmering dispute between Canada and the U.S. involves the issue of Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Passage.{{cite news |title=The US is picking a fight with Canada over a thawing Arctic shipping route |url=https://qz.com/1653831/the-us-is-picking-a-fight-with-canada-over-an-arctic-shipping-route/ |work=Quartz |date=27 June 2019 |archive-date=August 14, 2021 |access-date=August 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814025007/https://qz.com/1653831/the-us-is-picking-a-fight-with-canada-over-an-arctic-shipping-route/ |url-status=live }}

Due to prohibition laws influenced by local and traditional beliefs, Nunavut has a highly regulated alcohol market. The territory is the last outpost of prohibition in Canada, and it is often easier to obtain firearms than alcohol. Alcohol remains prohibited in six communities across the territory: Arivat, Coral Harbour, Goja Haven, Kugaaruk, Pangnirtung and Sanikiluaq.{{Cite news|title = Iqaluit hopes to curb alcoholism and binge-drinking by opening city's first beer store in 38 years|url = https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/iqaluit-hopes-to-curb-alcoholism-and-binge-drinking-by-opening-citys-first-beer-store-in-fifteen-years|website = National Post|access-date = 2015-11-23|date = September 21, 2014|last1 = Hopper|first1 = Tristin}} Although every community in Nunavut has slightly differing regulations, as a whole it is still very restrictive. Seven communities have complete bans against alcohol and another 14 have orders being restricted by local committees. Due to these laws, a lucrative bootlegging market has appeared in which people mark up the prices of bottles by extraordinary amounts.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIhUhHbTJ_s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/BIhUhHbTJ_s| archive-date=2021-10-28|title=Prohibition in Northern Canada |publisher=VICE|date=January 14, 2015|via=YouTube|access-date=2015-11-23}}{{cbignore}} The RCMP estimate Nunavut's bootleg liquor market rakes in some $10 million a year.

Despite the restrictions, alcohol's availability leads to widespread alcohol-related crime. One estimation states some 95% of police calls are alcohol-related.{{Cite web|title = Department of Justice - Legal Aid, Courtworker, and Public Legal Education and Information Needs in the Northwest Territories|url = http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/aj-ja/rr03_la8-rr03_aj8/p10.html|website = www.justice.gc.ca|access-date = 2015-11-23|publisher = Government of Canada, Department of Justice, Electronic Communications|date = September 30, 2004|archive-date = November 23, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151123092143/http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/aj-ja/rr03_la8-rr03_aj8/p10.html|url-status = live}} Alcohol is also believed to be a contributing factor to the territory's high rates of violence, suicide, and homicide. A special task force created in 2010 to study and address the territory's increasing alcohol-related problems recommended the government ease alcohol restrictions. With prohibition shown to be highly ineffective historically, some believe these laws contribute to the territory's widespread social ills. Others are skeptical about the effectiveness of liquor sale liberalization and want to ban it completely. In 2014, Nunavut's government moved toward more legalization. In 2017, the first liquor store in 38 years opened in Iqaluit.

Nunavut has the highest smoking rate in all of Canada. More than half of its adult population smoke cigarettes,{{cite web |last=Ducharme |first=Steve |date=2016-11-02 |title=Nunavut smoking rates high, but tobacco law enforcement low |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674nunavut_smoking_rates_high_but_tobacco_law_enforcement_low/ |access-date=2019-01-11 |website=Nunatsiaq News |archive-date=January 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112150057/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674nunavut_smoking_rates_high_but_tobacco_law_enforcement_low/ |url-status=live }} with both men and women smoking regularly. Some 90% of pregnant women are smokers, although studies have shown it has detrimental effects.{{cite web |date=2016-01-22 |title=9 out of 10 pregnant women in Nunavut smoke, says gov't rep |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-pregnant-women-smoking-1.3413920 |access-date=2019-01-11 |publisher=CBC |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824084216/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-pregnant-women-smoking-1.3413920 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|List of people from Nunavut}}

Susan Aglukark is an Inuk singer and songwriter. She has released six albums and has won several Juno Awards. She blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of the Arctic.

On May 3, 2008, the Kronos Quartet premiered a collaborative piece with Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq, entitled Nunavut, based on an Inuit folk story. Tagaq is also known internationally for her collaborations with Icelandic pop star Björk, and her 2018 novel Split Tooth which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo (Inuktitut syllabics: ᔪᐊᑕᓐ ᑐᑐ; born February 2, 1983, in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada) played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for from 2003 to 2017. Although born in Manitoba, Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, where he was taught to skate and play hockey by his father, Barney.

Hunter Tootoo, member of parliament for the Territory of Nunavut, was elected to the Liberal government in 2015. He served as the minister of fisheries, oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard until his resignation from the post on May 31, 2016.

{{portal|Canada}}

• Archaeology in Nunavut
• List of communities in Nunavut
• List of municipalities in Nunavut
• Symbols of Nunavut
• Nunatsiavut
• Nunavik

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• Alia, Valerie (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=rVoNxuS4n1gC&dq=Names%20and%20Nunavut%20Culture%20and%20Identity%20in%20Arctic%20Canada%20Names%20and%20Nunavut%20Culture%20and%20Identity%20in%20Arctic%20Canada&pg=PP1 Names and Nunavut Culture and Identity in Arctic Canada]. New York: Berghahn Books. {{ISBN|978-1-84545-165-3}}.
• Henderson, Ailsa (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=027TdMIVNkcC&dq=Nunavut%3A%20Rethinking%20Political%20Culture&pg=PP1 Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture]. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. {{ISBN|978-0-7748-1423-2}}.
• {{cite book |editor1-last=Dahl |editor1-first=Jens |editor2-last=Hicks |editor2-first=Jack |editor3-last=Jull |editor3-first=Peter |year=2002 |title=Nunavut: Inuit regain control of their lands and their lives |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wm-yttszFTMC&q=Nunavut&pg=PP1 |publisher=International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs |isbn=978-87-90730-34-5}}
• Kulchyski, Peter Keith (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=wexIGjitk4gC&dq=Like%20the%20Sound%20of%20a%20Drum%3A%20Aboriginal%20Cultural%20Politics%20in%20Denendeh%20and%20Nunavut&pg=PP1 Like the Sound of a Drum: Aboriginal Cultural Politics in Denendeh and Nunavut]. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. {{ISBN|978-0-88755-178-9}}.
• Sanna, Ellyn, and William Hunter (2008). Canada's Modern-Day Aboriginal Peoples Nunavut & Evolving Relationships. Markham, Ont: Scholastic Canada. {{ISBN|978-0-7791-7322-8}}.

{{refend}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

{{Commons category|Nunavut}}

{{Wiktionary|Nunavut}}

• {{Official website|name=Official website of the Nunavut Kavamat / Government of Nunavut}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20051014061258/http://www.gov.nu.ca/education/eng/images/Nunavutmap.gif Map showing regions of Nunavut] (from Nunavut Government website)
• [https://www.assembly.nu.ca/ Legislative Assembly of Nunavut]
• [https://www.nunavut.ca/ Nunavut Planning Commission]
• [https://www.nunavutminingsymposium.ca/ Annual Nunavut Mining Symposium held in April each year]
• [https://www.tunngavik.com/ Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.]: Nunavut Land Claims website
• {{citation|title=The Nunavut Act (1993)|website=Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) |url=https://canlii.ca/t/5431p |accessdate=16 January 2025}}.
• {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926020932/http://www.gov.nu.ca/education/eng/pubdoc/ENG%20LOI%20Report.pdf |date=September 26, 2006 |title=Nunavut K-12 bilingual language instruction plan }}: Martin, Ian. Aajiiqatigiingniq Language of Instruction Research Paper. Nunavut: Dept. of Education, 2000.

• [https://www.explorenunavut.com/ Explore Nunavut: Travel information and community guides] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908050121/https://www.explorenunavut.com/ |date=September 8, 2022 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120125232504/http://www.nunavutparks.com/ Nunavut Parks]

• [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north CBC North Radio]: hear Inuktitut and English radio from Nunavut
• [https://nunatsiaq.com/ Territorial newspaper reporting in Inuktitut and English], Nunatsiaq News
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090221131319/http://nnsl.com/nunavutnews/nunavut.html Nunavut News] from News/North

{{Nunavut}}

{{Provinces and territories of Canada}}

{{Northern Canada}}

{{Inuit}}

{{Arctic topics}}

{{Polar regions}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1999 establishments in Canada

Category:Arctic Ocean

Category:Inuit territories

Category:States and territories established in 1999

Category:Provinces and territories of Canada