Yukon

{{Short description|Territory of Canada}}

{{About|the Canadian territory}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2021}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}

{{Infobox province or territory of Canada

| name = Yukon

| other_name = {{native name|gwi|Ųųg Han}}
{{native name|tce|Chu Nìikwän}}

| settlement_type = Territory

| motto =

| image_flag = Flag of Yukon.svg

| image_shield = Coat of arms of Yukon.svg

| image_map = Yukon in Canada 2.svg

| Label_map = yes

| coordinates = {{Coord|63|N|135|W|type:adm1st_scale:30000000_region:CA-YT|notes={{Cite cgndb|KAIIM|Yukon}}|display=inline,title}}

| official_lang =

{{hlist

|English|French{{cite web |title=The Legal Context of Canada's Official Languages |publisher=University of Ottawa |url=https://slmc.uottawa.ca/?q=english_french_legal |access-date=October 7, 2016 | url-status = dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221032458/https://slmc.uottawa.ca/?q=english_french_legal |archive-date=December 21, 2016}}}}

| capital = Whitehorse

| largest_city = Whitehorse

| largest_metro = Whitehorse

| Premier = Ranj Pillai

| government_type = Parliamentary system

| Viceroy = Adeline Webber

| ViceroyType = Commissioner

| Legislature = Yukon Legislative Assembly

| area_rank = 9th

| area_total_km2 = 482443

| area_land_km2 = 474391

| area_water_km2 = 8052

| PercentWater = 1.7

| population_demonym = Yukoner
FR: {{lang|fr|Yukonnais(e)}}

| population_rank = 12th

| population_total = 40232

| population_ref = {{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000101 |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 and 2011 censuses |work=Statistics Canada |date=February 9, 2022 |access-date=February 10, 2022}}

| population_as_of = 2021

| population_est = 47126

| pop_est_as_of = Q1 2025

| pop_est_ref =

| DensityRank = 11th

| Density_km2 = 0.085

| GDP_year = 2017

| GDP_total = C$3.089 billion{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=3610022201#timeframe |title=Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, by province and territory (2017) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=September 22, 2019 |access-date=September 22, 2019}}

| GDP_rank = 13th

| GDP_per_capita = C$75,141

| GDP_per_capita_rank = 3rd

| HDI_year = 2021

| HDI = 0.930{{Cite web|title=Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI - Global Data Lab|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi|access-date=2022-05-18|website=globaldatalab.org}}Very high

| HDI_rank = 4th

| Former = District of Yukon

| AdmittanceOrder = 9th

| AdmittanceDate = June 13, 1898

| HouseSeats = 1

| SenateSeats = 1

| timezone_link = Time in Canada

| timezone1 =

| utc_offset1 = −07:00

| timezone1_DST =

| utc_offset1_DST =

| PostalAbbreviation = YT

| PostalCodePrefix = Y

| iso_code = CA-YT

| website = https://yukon.ca

| flower = Fireweed

| tree = Subalpine fir{{cite web |title=Government of Yukon: Emblems and Symbols |url=http://www.gov.yk.ca/aboutyukon/emblemsandsymbols.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212123740/http://www.gov.yk.ca/aboutyukon/emblemsandsymbols.html |archive-date=February 12, 2012}}

| bird = Common raven

}}

Yukon ({{IPA|fr-CA|juˈkõ|label=Canadian French:}}) is one of the three northern territories of Canada. It is the westernmost territory, bordering on the U.S. state of Alaska, and also the smallest of the three in terms of area. As of the 2021 census, Yukon is the middle territory in terms of population, but the most densely populated. Yukon has an estimated population of 47,126 as of 2025.{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2025 |title=Population estimates, quarterly |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |publisher=Statistics Canada}} Whitehorse, the territorial capital, is the largest settlement in the three territories.{{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=10&O=D#tPopDwell |title=Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census |last=Canada |first=Government of Canada, Statistics |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |date=February 8, 2017 |language=en |access-date=February 8, 2017}}

Yukon was split from the Northwest Territories by a federal statute in 1898 as the Yukon Territory. The current governing legislation is a new statute passed by the federal Parliament in 2002, the Yukon Act.{{cite web |url=http://canlii.ca/t/5213k |title=Yukon Act, SC 2002, c 7 |publisher=CanLII |access-date=February 22, 2011}} That act established Yukon as the territory's official name, although Yukon Territory remains in popular usage. Canada Post uses the territory's internationally approved postal abbreviation of YT.{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/dict/table-tableau/table-tableau-8-eng.cfm |title=Table 8 Abbreviations and codes for provinces and territories, 2011 Census |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=December 30, 2015 |access-date=January 9, 2016}} In 2021, territorial government policy was changed so that The Yukon would be recommended for use in official territorial government materials.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/the-yukon-renaming-1.6136896 |title=Back to 'the' Yukon: The big return of a 3-letter word |date=August 10, 2021 |publisher=CBC |access-date=November 3, 2021}}

Although officially bilingual (English and French), the Yukon government recognizes First Nations languages.

At {{convert |5959|m|abbr=on}}, Yukon's Mount Logan, in Kluane National Park and Reserve, is the highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest on the North American continent (after Denali in the U.S. state of Alaska). Most of the Yukon has a subarctic climate, characterized by long, cold winters and brief, warm summers. The coastal area along the Arctic Ocean has a tundra climate.

Notable rivers include the Yukon, Pelly, Stewart, Peel, White, Liard, and Tatshenshini.

Etymology

The territory is named after the Yukon River, the longest river in the Yukon. The name itself is from a contraction of the words in the Gwich'in phrase chųų gąįį han, which means "white water river" and refers to "the pale colour" of glacial runoff in the Yukon River."Dear Sir, I have great pleasure in informing you that I have at length after much trouble and difficulties, succeed[ed] in reaching the 'Youcon', or white water River, so named by the (Gwich'in) natives from the pale colour of its water. ..., I have the honour to Remain Your obt Servt, John Bell" Hudson's Bay Company Correspondence to George Simpson from John Bell (August 1, 1845), [https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/ HBC Archives], D.5/14, fos. 212-215d, also quoted in, {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pPLYUsb3gAQC&pg=PA21 |title=Land of the Midnight Sun: A History of the Yukon |page=21 |last1=Coates |first1=Kenneth S. |first2=William R. |last2=Morrison |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Hurtig Publishers |year=1988 |isbn=0-88830-331-9 |access-date=October 16, 2017}}In Gwich'in, adjectives, such as choo [big] and gąįį [white], follow the nouns that they modify. Thus, white water is chųų gąįį [water white]. White water river is chųų gąįį han [water white river]. {{cite book |url=http://library.alaska.gov/hist/hist_docs/docs/anlm/24000656.pdf |title=Dinjii Zhuh Ginjik Nagwan Tr'iłtsąįį: Gwich'in Junior Dictionary |pages=ii (ą, į, ų are nasalized a, i, u), xii (adjectives follow nouns), 19 (nitsii or choo [big]), 88 (ocean = chųų choo [water big]), 105 (han [river]), 142 (chųų [water]), 144 (gąįį [white]) |first=Katherine |last=Peter |publisher=Univ. of Alaska |year=1979 |access-date=October 16, 2017 }}

Historically, the name of the Yukon Territory has been abbreviated to "The Yukon" in informal speech. In 2003, the territorial government announced that the territory should be referred to as "Yukon", but the change in name sparked discussion amongst Yukoners. In the 2021 election, the leader of the Yukon NDP, Kate White, campaigned on returning to using "The Yukon". Following the election, the Yukon Liberal Party government announced that "The Yukon" would again be used by the government.

Geography

File:Cañón Miles, Yukón, Canadá, 2017-08-26, DD 130-132 PAN.jpg at Schwatka Lake and the entry to Miles Canyon]]

{{Main|Geography of Yukon}}

The territory is the approximate shape of a right triangle, bordering the U.S. state of Alaska to the west and northwest for {{convert|1210.|km|mi}} mostly along longitude 141° W, the Northwest Territories to the east and British Columbia to the south mostly along latitude 60° N.{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/boundaryfacts.html |title=Boundary Facts |access-date=October 18, 2011 |publisher=International Boundary Commission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611215733/http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/boundaryfacts.html |archive-date=June 11, 2011 |quote=Length of boundary by province – Yukon- 1,210 km or 752 miles}} Its northern coast is on the Beaufort Sea. Its ragged eastern boundary mostly follows the divide between the Yukon Basin and the Mackenzie River drainage basin to the east in the Mackenzie mountains.

Most of the territory is in the watershed of its namesake, the Yukon River. The southern Yukon is dotted with a large number of large, long and narrow glacier-fed alpine lakes, most of which flow into the Yukon River system. The larger lakes include Teslin Lake, Atlin Lake, Tagish Lake, Marsh Lake, Lake Laberge, Kusawa Lake and Kluane Lake. Bennett Lake on the Klondike Gold Rush trail is a lake flowing into Nares Lake, with the greater part of its area within Yukon. Other watersheds in the territory include the Mackenzie River, the Peel Watershed and the AlsekTatshenshini, and a number of rivers flowing directly into the Beaufort Sea. The two main Yukon rivers flowing into the Mackenzie in the Northwest Territories are the Liard River in the southeast and the Peel River and its tributaries in the northeast.

Canada's highest point, Mount Logan ({{convert|5959|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), is in the territory's southwest. Mount Logan and a large part of the Yukon's southwest are in Kluane National Park and Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other national parks include Ivvavik National Park and Vuntut National Park in the north. A second UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tr'ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site, was designated in 2023.

Notable widespread tree species within the Yukon are the black spruce and white spruce. Many trees are stunted because of the short growing season and severe climate.Carl Duncan, "[http://travelyukon.com/media/yukonnewsroom/publicationreadyfeaturestories/dempsterhighwaytothearctic/ The Dempster: Highway to the Arctic] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504155248/http://travelyukon.com/media/yukonnewsroom/publicationreadyfeaturestories/dempsterhighwaytothearctic/ |date=May 4, 2009}}" accessed 2009.10.22.

=Climate=

File:Yukon Köppen.svg in Yukon]]

{{See also|Climate change in the Arctic}}

While the average winter temperature in the Yukon is mild by Canadian arctic standards, no other place in North America gets as cold as the Yukon during extreme cold snaps. The temperature has dropped down to {{convert|-60|C|0}} three times, 1947, 1952, and 1968. The most extreme cold snap occurred in February 1947 when the abandoned town of Snag dropped down to {{convert|-63.0|C|1}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/life-80.htm |title=Life at Minus 80: The Men of Snag |publisher=The Weather Doctor |access-date=December 19, 2014}}

Unlike most of Canada where the most extreme heat waves occur in July, August, and even September, the Yukon's extreme heat tends to occur in June and even May. The Yukon has recorded {{convert|36|C|0}} three times. The first time was in June 1969 when Mayo recorded a temperature of {{convert|36.1|C|0}}. 14 years later this record was almost beaten when Forty Mile recorded {{convert|36|C|0}} in May 1983. The old record was finally broken 21 years later in June 2004 when the Mayo Road weather station, located just northwest of Whitehorse, recorded a temperature of {{convert|36.5|C|1}}.{{cite web |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/index_e.html |title=National Climate Data and Information Archive |date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Environment Canada |access-date=December 19, 2014}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:60%;"

|+Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected locations in Yukon{{Cite web |url=http://www.yukoncommunities.yk.ca/whitehorse/geography-climate |title=Whitehorse – Geography and Climate |website=www.yukoncommunities.yk.ca |access-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006093056/http://www.yukoncommunities.yk.ca/whitehorse/geography-climate |url-status=dead }}

|-

!City

!July average high

!July average low

!January average high

!January average low

|-

| Whitehorse || {{convert|21|C|F}} || {{convert|8|C|F}} || {{convert|-11|C|F}} || {{convert|-19|C|F}}

|-

| Dawson City || {{convert|23|C|F}} || {{convert|8|C|F}} || {{convert|-22|C|F}} || {{convert|-30|C|F}}

|-

| Old Crow || {{convert|20|C|F}} || {{convert|9|C|F}} || {{convert|-25|C|F}} || {{convert|-34|C|F}}

|}

History

{{Main|History of Yukon}}

File:Klondike mining, c.1899.jpg, {{circa|1899}}]]

Long before the arrival of Europeans, the central and southern Yukon was populated by First Nations people, and the area escaped glaciation. Sites of archeological significance in the Yukon hold some of the earliest evidence of the presence of human habitation in North America.Services, Cultural. Archaeology Program. Department of Tourism and Culture. [Online] March 8, 2011. [Cited: April 7, 2012.] [http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/archaeology.html] The sites safeguard the history of the first people and the earliest First Nations of the Yukon.

The volcanic eruption of Mount Churchill in approximately 800 AD in what is now the U.S. state of Alaska blanketed the southern Yukon with a layer of ash which can still be seen along the Klondike Highway, and which forms part of the oral tradition of First Nations peoples in the Yukon and further south in Canada.

Coastal and inland First Nations had extensive trading networks. European incursions into the area began early in the 19th century with the fur trade, followed by missionaries. By the 1870s and 1880s, gold miners began to arrive. This drove a population increase that justified the establishment of a police force, just in time for the start of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897. The increased population coming with the gold rush led to the separation of the Yukon district from the Northwest Territories and the formation of the separate Yukon Territory in 1898.

Demographics

{{Main|Demographics of Yukon}}

The 2021 census reported a Yukon population of 40,232.{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=101&S=50&O=A |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 and 2011 censuses |work=Statistics Canada |date=February 2, 2017 |access-date=April 30, 2017}} With a land area of {{convert|474712.64|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|33897|474712.64|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2011, the highest among Canada's three territories.{{cite web |url=http://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=60 |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Yukon) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=January 13, 2014 |access-date=January 15, 2014}} Statistics Canada has estimated Yukon's 2024 population to be 46,948,{{Cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901 |access-date=January 12, 2021 |title=Population estimates, quarterly |work=Statistics Canada|date=June 27, 2018 }} an increase of 17.5% from the 2016 census. This is the largest percentage increase for any Canadian province or territory.

Unlike in other Canadian provinces and territories, Statistics Canada uses the entire territory as a single at-large census division.

=Ethnicity=

{{see also|Indigenous peoples in Yukon}}

{{Update section|inaccurate=yes|date=April 2017}}

According to the 2016 Canada Census the majority of the territory's population was of European descent, although it has a significant population of First Nations communities across the territory. The 2011 National Household Survey examined the Yukon's ethnocultural diversity and immigration. At that time, 87.7% of residents were Canadian-born and 24.2% were of Indigenous origin. The most common countries of birth for immigrants were the United Kingdom (15.9%), the Philippines (15.0%), and the United States (13.2%). Among very recent immigrants (between 2006 and 2011) living in the Yukon, 63.5% were born in Asia.{{cite web |title=Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity, 2011 National Household Survey |url=http://www.eco.gov.yk.ca/stats/pdf/Immigration_and_Ethnocultural_Diversity_2011.pdf |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=July 20, 2015}}

{{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}}{{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}}

| other =

| label1 = European Canadian

| value1 = 68.1

| color1 = #d8d8d8

| label2 = Visible minority

| value2 = 8.5

| color2 = #a0a0a0

| label3 = First Nations

| value3 = 19.1

| color3 = #ba1d1d

| label4 = Métis

| value4 = 2.9

| color4 = #3183d6

| label5 = Inuit

| value5 = 0.6

| color5 = #eddb38

| label6 = Other Indigenous responses

| value6 = 0.8

| color6 = #000000

}}

As of the 2016 census, the top ten ancestries in the Yukon were:{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/imm/Table.cfm?Lang=E&T=31&Geo=60 |author=Statistics Canada |title=Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Yukon, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data|date=October 25, 2017 }}

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!Rank

!Ethnic group

!Population (2016)

!Percentage

|-

|1

|English

|9,680

|{{Percentage | 9680 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|2

|Aboriginal

|8,665

|{{Percentage | 8665 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|3

|Canadian

|8,640

|{{Percentage | 8640 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|4

|Scottish

|8,295

|{{Percentage | 8295 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|5

|Irish

|6,930

|{{Percentage | 6930 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|6

|German

|5,575

|{{Percentage | 5575 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|7

|French

|5,040

|{{Percentage | 5040 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|8

|Ukrainian

|2,200

|{{Percentage | 2200 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|9

|Dutch

|1,760

|{{Percentage | 1760 | 35110 | 2 }}

|-

|10

|Norwegian

|1,380

|{{Percentage | 1380 | 35110 | 2 }}

|}

=Language=

The most commonly reported mother tongue among the 33,145 single responses to the 2011 Canadian census was English at 28,065 ({{percentage|28065|33145}}). The second-most common was 1,455 ({{percentage|1455|33145}}) for French. Among 510 multiple respondents, 140 of them ({{percentage|140|510}}) reported a mother tongue of both English and French, while 335 ({{percentage|335|510}}) reported English and a "{{nowrap|non-official}} language" and 20 ({{percentage|20|510}}) reported French and a "{{nowrap|non-official}} language".

The Yukon's Language Act "recognises the significance" of the territory's aboriginal languages in the Yukon, and permits their use in Legislative Assembly proceedings, although only English and French are available for laws and court proceedings.{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.yk.ca/legislation/acts/languages.pdf |title=Language Act, Statues of the Yukon (2002) |access-date=February 22, 2011}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-break|width=40%}}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width: 95%; float: left;"

|-

!colspan=2| First Nations linguistic groups by tribes/clans{{Cite web|url=http://www.cyfn.ca/ourNations/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020714191630/http://www.cyfn.ca/ourNations/ |archive-date=2002-07-14 |title=Council of Yukon First Nations-Our Nations|date=July 14, 2002}}

|-

! scope="col" | Linguistic group

! scope="col" | Tribe/clan

|-

! scope="row" | Gwich'in

| Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Old Crow

|-

! scope="row" | Hän

| Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation, Dawson City

|-

! scope="row" | Upper Tanana

| White River First Nation, Beaver Creek

  • Small communities near Tok (Alaska)

|-

! scope="row" | Northern Tutchone

| Selkirk First Nation

|-

! scope="row" | Southern Tutchone

| Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Haines Junction

|-

! scope="row" | Kaska

| Ross River Dena Council, Ross River

|-

! scope="row" | Inland Tlingit

| Teslin Tlingit Council

|-

! scope="row" | Tagish

| Carcross/Tagish First Nation

|}

{{col-break|width=20%|align=center}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 95%;"

!colspan=4| Mother tongue, 2011 census{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-pr-eng.cfm?Lang=Eng&GC=60 |title=Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census, Yukon |date=February 8, 2012 |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=July 20, 2015}}

|-

!Rank

!align="left"| Language

!Population

!Percent

|- style="text-align:right;"

|1.

| style="text-align:left;"|English

|28,065

|82.9%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|2.

| style="text-align:left;"|French

|1,455

|4.3%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|3.

| style="text-align:left;"|German

|805

|2.4%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|4.

| style="text-align:left;"|Tagalog

|425

|1.3%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|5.

| style="text-align:left;"|Kaska

|265

|0.8%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|6.

| style="text-align:left;"|Northern Tutchone

|200

|0.6%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|7.

| style="text-align:left;"|Spanish

|180

|0.5%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|8.

| style="text-align:left;"|Southern Tutchone

|140

|0.4%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|9.

| style="text-align:left;"|Dutch

|130

|0.4%

|- style="text-align:right;"

|10.

| style="text-align:left;"|Chinese

|130

|0.4%

|}

{{col-end}}

=Religion=

File:Sikh men in turbans sitting and standing on rocky bank with bags and supplies, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, April 1906 (AL+CA 7021).jpg, Yukon in April 1906]]

The 2021 Canadian census reported that 59.7% of Yukoners reported having no religious affiliation, the highest percentage in Canada. The most frequently reported religious affiliation was Christianity, reported by 35.0% of residents, followed by Sikhism at 1.0%.{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Yukon&DGUIDlist=2021A000260&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0|title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population, Yukon|date=February 9, 2022 |publisher= Statistics Canada |access-date=November 20, 2022}}

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="3" | Religious beliefs in Yukon (2021 census){{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Yukon&DGUIDlist=2021A000260&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0|title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population, Yukon|date=February 9, 2022 |publisher= Statistics Canada |access-date=November 20, 2022}}

|-

! Religion

! Adherents

! % of the population

|-

|No religion and secular perspectives||23,640 ||{{Percentage | 23,640 | 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Christian ||13,860||{{Percentage | 13,860| 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Sikh||380||{{Percentage | 380| 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Traditional (North American Indigenous) spirituality ||325||{{Percentage | 325| 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Hindu ||265||{{Percentage | 265| 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Buddhist ||260||{{Percentage | 260| 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Muslim ||185||{{Percentage | 185| 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Jewish ||70||{{Percentage | 70| 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Other religions and spiritual traditions||600||{{Percentage | 600| 39,590| 2 }}

|-

|Total||39,590||{{Percentage | 39,590| 39,590| 2 }}

|}

Economy

File:Hopper and Cart (15671202387).jpg

The Yukon's major industry is mining (lead, zinc, silver, gold, asbestos and copper). The federal government acquired the land from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870 and split it from the Northwest Territories in 1898 to fill the need for local government created by the population influx of the gold rush. Thousands of these prospectors moved to the territory, ushering a period of Yukon history recorded by authors such as Robert W. Service and Jack London. The memory of this period and the early days of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as the territory's scenic wonders and outdoor recreation opportunities, makes tourism the second most important industry in the territory.

Manufacturing, including furniture, clothing, and handicrafts, follows in importance, along with hydroelectricity. The traditional industries of trapping and fishing have declined. As of 2012, the government sector directly employs approximately 6,300 out of a labour force of 20,800, on a population of 27,500.{{Cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1010002501&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.13&pickMembers%5B1%5D=2.1 |title=Archived – Public sector employment, wages and salaries, seasonally unadjusted and adjusted |website=Statistics Canada |date=August 2012 |access-date=September 23, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=1410009001#timeframe |title=Labour force characteristics by province, territory and economic region, annual (x 1,000) |website=Statistics Canada |date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=September 23, 2019}}

On May 1, 2015, the Yukon modified its Business Corporations Act,[http://www.gov.yk.ca/legislation/acts/buco_c.pdf gov.yk.ca: "Business Corporations Act"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016133756/http://www.gov.yk.ca/legislation/acts/buco_c.pdf |date=October 16, 2015}}, May 1, 2015[http://www.gov.yk.ca/legislation/regs/oic2015_006.pdf gov.yk.ca: "O.I.C. 2015/06 Business Corporations Act"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009192515/http://www.gov.yk.ca/legislation/regs/oic2015_006.pdf |date=October 9, 2015}}, May 1, 2015[http://www.gov.yk.ca/legislation/regs/oic2015_007.pdf gov.yk.ca: "O.I.C. 2015/07 Societies Act"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009071331/http://www.gov.yk.ca/legislation/regs/oic2015_007.pdf |date=October 9, 2015}}, May 1, 2015 in an effort to attract more benefits and participants to its economy. One amendment to the BCA lets a proxy be given for voting purposes. Another change will allow directors to pursue business opportunities declined by the corporation, a practice off-limits in most other jurisdictions due to the inherent potential for conflicts of interest.[http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/go-north-not-west-yukon-lures-businesses-with-new-company-rules-1.3057441 cbc.ca: "Go north, not west: Yukon lures businesses with new company rules"], May 1, 2015 One of the changes will allow a corporation to serve as a director of a subsidiary registered in Yukon.[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/yukons-move-to-draw-corporations-worries-shareholders-coalition/article25030368/ theglobeandmail.com: "Yukon's move to draw corporations worries shareholders coalition"], June 18, 2015 The legislation also allows companies to add provisions in their articles of incorporation giving directors blanket approval to sell off all of the company's assets without requiring a shareholder vote. If provided for by a unanimous shareholders agreement, a corporation is not required to have directors at all.[http://www.deallawwire.com/2015/06/02/changes-of-note-to-the-yukon-business-corporations-act/ deallawwire.com: "Changes of note to the Yukon Business Corporations Act"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213134/http://www.deallawwire.com/2015/06/02/changes-of-note-to-the-yukon-business-corporations-act/ |date=September 23, 2015 }}, June 2, 2015 There is increased flexibility regarding the location of corporate records offices, including the ability to maintain a records office outside of the Yukon so long as it is accessible by electronic means.

=Tourism=

File:Sheep Slot Rapids, Firth River, Ivvavik National Park, YT.jpg is one of three national parks located in Yukon.]]

The Yukon's tourism motto is "Larger than life".[http://www.travelyukon.com/en/ Travel Yukon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012232640/http://www.travelyukon.com/en/ |date=October 12, 2008}} The Yukon's tourism industry relies heavily on Yukon's natural environment, and there are many organized outfitters and guides available for activities such as hunting, angling, canoeing/kayaking, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, and dog sledding. These activities are offered both in an organized setting or in the backcountry, which is accessible by air or snowmobile. The Yukon's festivals and sporting events include the Adäka Cultural Festival, Yukon International Storytelling Festival, and the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous. The Yukon's latitude enables the view of aurora borealis.

The Yukon Government maintains a series of territorial parks,{{cite web |url=http://environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/yukonparks.php |title=Territorial Parks |publisher=Environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca |access-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212184643/http://environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/yukonparks.php |archive-date=February 12, 2008}} including parks such as Herschel Island Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park,{{cite web |url=http://environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/HerschelIslandQikiqtaruk.php |title=Herschel Island Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park |publisher=Environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca |access-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313111842/http://www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/HerschelIslandQikiqtaruk.php |archive-date=March 13, 2011}} Tombstone Territorial Park,{{cite web |url=http://environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/tombstonepark.php |title=Tombstone Territorial Park |publisher=Environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca |access-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315175203/http://www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/tombstonepark.php |archive-date=March 15, 2011}} Fishing Branch Ni'iinlii'njik Park,{{cite web |url=http://environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/FishingBranch.php |title=Fishing Branch Ni'iinlii'njik Park |publisher=Environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca |access-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218002252/http://www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/FishingBranch.php |archive-date=December 18, 2010}} and Coal River Springs Territorial Park.{{cite web |url=http://environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/CoalRiverSprings.php |title=Coal River Springs Territorial Park |publisher=Environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca |access-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313062919/http://www.env.gov.yk.ca/parksconservation/CoalRiverSprings.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 13, 2012}} Parks Canada, a federal agency of the Government of Canada, also maintains three national parks and reserves within the territory: Kluane National Park and Reserve, Ivvavik National Park, and Vuntut National Park.

File:Whitehorse entrance Yukon Beringia.JPG is an interpretive centre with a focus on the Beringia land bridge.]]

The Yukon is also home to twelve National Historic Sites of Canada. The sites are also administered by Parks Canada, with five of the twelve sites being located within national parks. The territory is host to a number of museums, including the Copperbelt Railway & Mining Museum, the SS Klondike boat museum, the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse; as well as the Keno City Mining Museum in Keno City. The territory also holds a number of enterprises that allows tourists to experience pre-colonial and modern cultures of Yukon's First Nations and Inuit.{{cite web |url=http://www.yfnta.org/ |title=Yukon First Nation Tourist Association |publisher=Yfnta.org |access-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524095311/http://www.yfnta.org/ |archive-date=May 24, 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Culture

The Yukon has a wide array of cultural and sporting events that attract artists, local residents, and tourists. Annual events include the Adäka Cultural Festival, Dawson City Music Festival, Yukon International Storytelling Festival, Yukon Quest dog sled race, Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous, as well as Klondike Gold Rush memorials{{cite web|title=Dawson Music Festival|url=http://www.dcmf.com|access-date=February 22, 2011|publisher=Dcmf.com}}{{cite web|title=Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre|url=http://www.beringia.com/|access-date=February 22, 2011|publisher=Beringia.com}} and the Northern Lights Centre.{{cite web|title=Northern Lights Centre|url=http://www.northernlightscentre.ca/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203015418/http://northernlightscentre.ca/|archive-date=February 3, 2011|access-date=February 22, 2011|publisher=Northernlightscentre.ca}}{{cite web|date=February 1, 2011|title=Whitehorse fish ladder|url=http://www.yukonenergy.ca/services/facilities/fishway/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903012416/http://www.yukonenergy.ca/services/facilities/fishway/|archive-date=September 3, 2010|access-date=February 22, 2011|publisher=Yukonenergy.ca}}

File:YQ Start Whitehorse 2005 0002.jpg dog sledding race in Whitehorse]]

The Yukon's Aboriginal culture is also strongly reflected in such areas as winter sports, as in the Yukon Quest sled dog race. The modern comic-book character Yukon Jack depicts a heroic aboriginal persona. Similarly, the territorial government also recognizes that First Nations and Inuit languages plays a part in cultural heritage of the territory; these languages include Tlingit, and the less common Tahltan, as well as seven Athapaskan languages, Upper Tanana, Gwich'in, Hän, Northern Tutchone, Southern Tutchone, Kaska, and Tagish, some of which are rare.[http://www.pinnacle-travel.org/yukon/history-culture.htm Yukon Territory History and Culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907074048/http://www.pinnacle-travel.org/yukon/history-culture.htm|date=September 7, 2011}}, Pinnacle Travel

=Arts=

{{See also|Music of Yukon}}

Notable Yukon artists include Jim Robb and Ted Harrison, whose paintings have become iconic for their depictions of historic and contemporary life and culture in the Yukon.{{Cite book|last=Hocking|first=Anthony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aet5AAAAMAAJ&q=%E2%80%9CTed+harrison%E2%80%9D+and+%E2%80%9CJim+Robb%E2%80%9D|title=The Yukon and Northwest Territories|publisher=McGraw-Hill Ryerson|year=1979|isbn=978-0-07-082694-6|pages=29|language=en}}

With the Klondike Gold Rush, a number of folk songs from the Yukon became popular, including "Rush to the Klondike" (1897, written by W. T. Diefenbaker), "The Klondike Gold Rush", "I've Got the Klondike Fever" (1898), and "La Chanson du Klondyke".

A notable cultural and tourist feature is the legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush (1897–1899), which inspired contemporary writers of the time such as Jack London, Robert W. Service, and Jules Verne, and which continues to inspire films and games, such as Mae West's Klondike Annie and The Yukon Trail {{crossref|(see Cultural legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush)}}.

Government

=Yukon Legislature=

File:Yukon Legislature main entrance.jpg is the meeting place for the territory's legislative assembly.]]

Executive power in the Yukon is formally vested in the Territorial Commissioner,{{Cite web |date=2022-04-12 |title=About |url=https://commissionerofyukon.ca/about |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=commissionerofyukon.ca}} who plays an analogous role to that of a provincial lieutenant governor. As guarantor of responsible government in the territory, the Commissioner generally acts on the advice of the Premier of Yukon, who commands the confidence of the elected Legislative Assembly. Unlike lieutenant governors, commissioners are not direct representatives of the King but are instead appointed by the federal government.

The Yukon has numerous political parties and candidates who stand for election to the 19 seats in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. Those elected to the legislature are known as members of the Legislative Assembly and may use the post nominal letters "MLA". The three parties presently represented are the centre-leaning Yukon Liberal Party (8 seats) – who currently form government, the centre-right leaning Yukon Party (8), and the centre-left leaning Yukon New Democratic Party (3).{{Cite web|last=Silva|first=Steve|date=19 April 2021|title=Yukon NDP win final riding by rare drawing of lots, maintaining Liberal, Yukon Party tie in assembly|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/silver-governnment-vuntut-gwitchin-recount-result-1.5993478}}

The 10th and current premier of Yukon is Ranj Pillai, who represents the electoral district of Porter Creek South as its MLA. Pillai took office on January 14, 2023. After the 2021 Yukon general election, the Liberals were reduced to a minority government, though they were able to continue governing due to a formal agreement with the NDP.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-28|title=Yukon Liberals, NDP strike agreement to govern after election tie|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/yukon-liberals-ndp-strike-agreement-to-govern-after-election-tie-1.5406609|access-date=2021-04-29|website=CTVNews|language=en}}

=Local government=

{{See also|List of municipalities in Yukon|List of communities in Yukon}}

File:Yukon municipalities.png

The vast majority of the Yukon's land mass is unorganized, with no defined municipal or otherwise supralocal level of government like in other parts of Canada.

For most individuals in the Yukon, though, local level governance is provided by municipalities. The Yukon's eight municipalities cover only {{percentage|733.09|474712.68|1}} of the territory's land mass{{#tag:ref|The remaining 99.8% of Yukon's land mass contains two unincorporated hamlets, four unorganized areas, four Indian settlements, four self-governments (Indian reserves), thirteen unincorporated settlements and a Teslin land claim.{{cite web | url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/92f0009x/92f0009x2013000-eng.pdf | title=Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names: From January 2, 2012 to January 1, 2013 | publisher=Statistics Canada | type=PDF | pages=6–7 | accessdate=August 19, 2014}} Unorganized Yukon, one of the four unorganized areas, accounts for the vast majority of the territory's land mass, at {{percentage|465513.32|474712.64|1}}.{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&PR=60&S=86&O=A&RPP=25 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Yukon) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 8, 2017 | accessdate=February 11, 2017}}|group=lower-alpha}} but are home to {{percentage|29028|35874|1}} of its population.{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=101&S=50&O=A | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 6, 2017 | accessdate=February 11, 2017}}{{cite web | url=http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/yukon_communities.html | title=Yukon Communities | publisher=Yukon Government: Department of Community Services | date=November 7, 2013 | accessdate=January 15, 2014 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116091318/http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/yukon_communities.html | archivedate=January 16, 2014 }}

Municipal governments are created by the Yukon Government in accordance with the Municipal Act of 2001.{{cite web | url=http://www.gov.yk.ca/legislation/acts/municipal.pdf | title=Municipal Act | publisher=Government of Yukon | year=2002 | accessdate=January 6, 2014}} Municipal governments provide "jurisdiction services, facilities, or things that a local government considers necessary or desirable for all or part of its community". Classifications of municipalities under the Municipal Act include cities and towns. Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon and its only city. The remaining seven municipalities are towns, of which four were villages that were continued as towns upon adoption of the 2001 Municipal Act.

The usage is somewhat confusing: according to the Municipal Act of 2001 villages are legally given the status of towns, but may call themselves villages in English. In French they are called villages, and the French word ville, which means town, is not used for them. Instead larger settlements are called ville and even bigger ones grande ville, apart from Dawson which is called a cité, and in English is also called a city. Keno City, though unincorporated, also bears city in its name.

=History=

In the 19th century, the Yukon was a segment of North-Western Territory that was administered by the Hudson's Bay Company, and then of the Northwest Territories administered by the federal Canadian government. It only obtained a recognizable local government in 1895 when it became a separate district of the Northwest Territories.Coates and Morrison, p.74 In 1898, it was made a separate territory with its own commissioner and an appointed Territorial Council.Coates and Morrison, p.103

File:North-western-territory.png as the North-Western Territory.]]

Prior to 1979, the territory was administered by the commissioner who was appointed by the federal Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The commissioner had a role in appointing the territory's Executive Council, served as chair, and had a day-to-day role in governing the territory. The elected Territorial Council had a purely advisory role. In 1979, a significant degree of power was devolved from the commissioner and the federal government to the territorial legislature which, in that year, adopted a party system of responsible government. This change was accomplished through a letter from Jake Epp, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, rather than through formal legislation.

In preparation for responsible government, political parties were organized and ran candidates to the Yukon Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1978. The Progressive Conservatives won these elections and formed the first party government of the Yukon in January 1979. The Yukon New Democratic Party (NDP) formed the government from 1985 to 1992 under Tony Penikett and again from 1996 under Piers McDonald until being defeated in 2000. The conservatives returned to power in 1992 under John Ostashek after having renamed themselves the Yukon Party. The Liberal government of Pat Duncan was defeated in elections in November 2002, with Dennis Fentie of the Yukon Party forming the government as premier. In 2003, the old Yukon Act was repealed and replaced by a new Yukon Act, which continued the existing powers of the Yukon Government, and devolved additional powers to the territorial government such as control over land and natural resources.{{cite web |last1=Graham |first1=Katherine |last2=Yarhi |first2=Eli |title=Territorial Government in Canada |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/territorial-government |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=4 June 2024}}

=Federal representation=

{{main|Yukon (electoral district)}}

At the federal level, the Yukon is represented in the Parliament of Canada by one member of Parliament (MP) and one senator. MPs from Canadian territories are full and equal voting representatives and residents of the territory enjoy the same rights as other Canadian citizens. One Yukon MP, Erik Nielsen, served as Deputy Prime Minister under Brian Mulroney, while another, Audrey McLaughlin, was the leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) from 1989 to 1995.

=First Nations=

{{col-begin}}

{{col-break|width=60%}}A substantial minority of the territory's population is First Nations. An umbrella land claim agreement representing 7,432 members of fourteen different First Nations was signed with the federal government in 1993. Eleven of the fourteen Yukon First Nations have negotiated and signed comprehensive land claim and self-government agreements. The fourteen First Nations speak eight different languages.

The territory once had an Inuit settlement, located on Herschel Island off the Arctic Ocean coast. This settlement was dismantled in 1987 and its inhabitants relocated to the neighbouring Northwest Territories. As a result of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, the island is now a territorial park and is known officially as Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park, Qikiqtaruk being the name of the island in Inuvialuktun.{{col-break|width=60%}}

{| class="wikitable" float: right;"

|-

! Government !! Seat !! Chief

|-

| Carcross/Tagish First Nation || Carcross || Khà Shâde Héni Andy Carvill{{cite web |url=http://www.ctfn.ca/governance/2012-02-25-00-51-11/executive |title=Executive Council |publisher=Ctfn.ca |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307023307/https://www.ctfn.ca/governance/2012-02-25-00-51-11/executive |archive-date=March 7, 2018}}

|-

| Champagne and Aishihik First Nations || Haines Junction || Steve Smith{{cite web |url=http://cafn.ca/government/chief-council/ |title=Dän nätthe dä̀tthʼi (Chief and Council) |publisher=Champagne and Aishihik First Nations |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019135906/http://cafn.ca/government/chief-council/ |archive-date=October 19, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

|-

| First Nation of Na-cho Nyak Dun || Mayo || Simon Mervyn{{cite web |url=http://www.nndfn.com/departments/main-administration/ |title=Governance and Administration |publisher=First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun |date=October 20, 2016 |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018233326/http://www.nndfn.com/departments/main-administration/ |archive-date=October 18, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

|-

| Kluane First Nation || Burwash Landing || Mathieya Alatini{{cite web |url=http://www.kfn.ca/index.php/government/chief-and-council |title=Chief and Council |publisher=Kluane First Nation |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024094012/http://kfn.ca/index.php/government/chief-and-council |archive-date=October 24, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

|-

| Kwanlin Dün First Nation || Whitehorse || Doris Bill{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/doris-bill-elected-kwanlin-dun-chief-1.2580056 |title=Doris Bill elected Kwanlin Dun chief |publisher=CBC News |date=March 20, 2014 |access-date=October 31, 2016}}

|-

| Liard River First Nation || Watson Lake || Daniel Morris{{cite web |url=http://www.kaskadenacouncil.com/kaska-nations/liard-first-nation |title=Liard First Nation |publisher=Kaska Dena Council |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914213124/http://www.kaskadenacouncil.com/kaska-nations/liard-first-nation |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

|-

| Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation || Carmacks || Eric Fairclough{{cite web |url=http://www.lscfn.ca/departments-c_c-res.html |title=Chief & Council |publisher=Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112200935/http://www.lscfn.ca/departments-c_c-res.html |archive-date=January 12, 2017 |url-status=dead }}

|-

| Ross River Dena Council || Ross River || Dylan Loblaw{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/dylan-loblaw-chief-ross-river-dena-nation-1.6386067 |title=Dylan Loblaw elected chief of Ross River Dena Council|publisher=CBC News |date=March 15, 2022|access-date=August 2, 2022}}

|-

| Selkirk First Nation || Pelly Crossing || Kevin McGinty{{cite web |author=Selkirk First Nation |url=http://www.selkirkfn.com/government/structure/council/ |title=The Council |publisher=Selkirk First Nation |access-date=October 31, 2016}}

|-

| Ta'an Kwach'an Council || Whitehorse || Kristina Kane{{cite web |url=http://taan.ca/governance/chief-and-council/ |title=Chief and Council |publisher=Government of the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111160643/http://taan.ca/governance/chief-and-council/ |archive-date=November 11, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

|-

| Teslin Tlingit Council || Teslin || Richard Sidney{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/richard-sidney-elected-chief-teslin-tlingit-1.3681143 |title=Richard Sidney elected chief of Teslin Tlingit Council |publisher=CBC News |date=July 15, 2016 |access-date=October 31, 2016}}

|-

| Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in || Dawson City || Roberta Joseph{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/roberta-joseph-new-chief-of-dawson-s-tr-ondek-hwech-in-1.2794826 |title=Roberta Joseph new chief of Dawson's Tr'ondek Hwech'in |publisher=CBC News |date=October 10, 2014 |access-date=October 31, 2016}}

|-

| Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation || Old Crow || Dana Tizya-Tramm{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/old-crow-vgfn-tizya-tramm-1.4974171 |title=Humbled Beyond Words Dana Tizya-Tramm becomes Chief of Vuntut Gwitchin |publisher=CBC News |date=January 11, 2019 |access-date=January 25, 2021}}

|-

| White River First Nation || Beaver Creek || Angela Demit{{cite web |url=https://whiteriverfirstnation.com/chief-council/ |title=Chief & Council |publisher=White River First Nation |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202005457/https://whiteriverfirstnation.com/chief-council/ |archive-date=February 2, 2017}}

|}

{{col-end}}

Transportation

Before modern forms of transportation, the rivers and mountain passes were the main transportation routes for the coastal Tlingit people trading with the Athabascans of the Chilkoot Pass and Dalton Trail, as well as the first Europeans.

=Air=

{{see also|List of airports in Yukon}}

File:Whitehorse Airport, Yukon Territory.jpg serves as the air transport hub for Yukon.]]

Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport serves as the air transport infrastructure hub, with scheduled direct flights to Calgary, Dawson City, Edmonton, Inuvik, Kelowna, Ottawa, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver, Victoria, Watson Lake, and Yellowknife. It was formerly connected to Frankfurt by Condor before the airline temporarily suspended the route in 2023 until completion of runway reconstruction project when services are expected to resume.{{Cite web |date=23 June 2023 |title=Condor Airlines won't fly to Yukon for at least the next 2 summers |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/condor-airlines-whitehorse-airport-1.6815719 |website=CBC}}

=Rail=

{{Yukon rail network}}

The railway ceased operation in the 1980s with the first closure of the Faro mine. It is now run during the summer months for the tourism season, with operations between Carcross and Skagway, Alaska.{{Cite web|url=https://arc.lib.montana.edu/snow-science/objects/ISSW16_P4.48.pdf|title=THE WHITE PASS AND YUKON ROUTE AVALANCHE PROGRAM, FORECASTING AND RISK MANAGEMENT FOR A HISTORICAL RAILROAD}}

The Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation (A2A) is planning to construct a new railway line that would cross the Yukon, connecting Watson Lake and possibly Carmacks but not Whitehorse.

=Roads=

{{see also|List of Yukon territorial highways}}

File:Yukon Highway.jpg is one of several territorial highways in Yukon.]]

Today, major land routes include the Alaska Highway, the Klondike Highway (between Skagway and Dawson City), the Haines Highway (between Haines, Alaska, and Haines Junction), and the Dempster Highway (linking Inuvik, Northwest Territories to the Klondike Highway, and the only road access route to the Arctic Ocean in Canada), all paved except for the Dempster. Other highways with less traffic include the Robert Campbell Highway linking Carmacks (on the Klondike Highway) to Watson Lake (Alaska Highway) via Faro and Ross River, and the Silver Trail linking the old silver mining communities of Mayo, Elsa, and Keno City to the Klondike Highway at the Stewart River bridge. Air travel is the only way to reach the far-north community of Old Crow.

=Waterways=

From the Gold Rush until the 1950s, riverboats plied the Yukon River, mostly between Whitehorse and Dawson City, with some making their way further to Alaska and over to the Bering Sea, and other tributaries of the Yukon River such as the Stewart River. Most of the riverboats were owned by the British-Yukon Navigation Company, an arm of the White Pass and Yukon Route, which also operated a narrow-gauge railway between Skagway, Alaska, and Whitehorse.

See also

{{portal|Canada}}

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

{{refbegin}}

  • {{citation |last=Coates |first=Kenneth |year=1985 |title=Canada's colonies: a history of the Yukon and Northwest Territories |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sPXVRynQH5wC&q=Yukon&pg=PP1 |publisher=Lorimer |isbn=0-88862-931-1}}
  • {{Citation |first1=Ken S. |last1=Coates |name-list-style=amp |first2=William R. |last2=Morrison |year=1988 |title=Land of the Midnight Sun: A History of the Yukon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_q_H8vdlezsC&q=Yukon&pg=PP1 |publisher=Hurtig Publishers |location=Edmonton |isbn=0-88830-331-9}}
  • {{citation |last=Cody |first=William J |year=2000 |title=Flora of the Yukon Territory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5hfWWmwE78C&q=Yukon&pg=PP1 |publisher=National Research Press |isbn=0-660-18110-X}}
  • {{citation |last=Hart |first=Ann |year=2000 |title=Alaska and the Yukon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LiyDDMG2e3cC&q=Yukon&pg=PP1 |publisher=JPM Publications |isbn=2-88452-051-1}}
  • {{citation |last=Laguna |first=Frederica De |year=2000 |title=Travels among the Dena : exploring Alaska's Yukon Valley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UK_s4nMIaucC&q=Yukon&pg=PP1 |publisher=Univ. of Washington Press |isbn=0-295-97902-X}}
  • {{citation |last1=O'Reilly |first1=Shauna |first2=Brennan |last2=O'Reilly |year=2009 |title=Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RRG0UkaI5HMC&q=Yukon&pg=PP1 |publisher=Arcadia Pub |isbn=978-0-7385-7132-4}}
  • {{citation |last=Webb |first=Melody |year=1993 |title=Yukon: The Last Frontier |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z-WsBum6UckC&q=Yukon&pg=PP1 |publisher=University of British Columbia Press |isbn=0-7748-0441-6}}

{{refend}}

External links

{{Sister project links|Yukon|voy =Yukon}}

  • {{Official website|name=Official website of the Government of Yukon}}
  • [https://www.yukoninfo.com/ Yukon Attraction & Service Guides]
  • {{Citation |url=http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-73-2365/politics_economy/yukon_elections/ |publisher=CBC |title=Digital Archives |contribution=Territorial Battles: Yukon Elections, 1978–2002}}

{{Provinces and territories of Canada}}

{{Northern Canada}}

{{Subdivisions of Yukon}}

{{Yukon politics}}

{{Polar regions}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1898 establishments in Canada

Category:Census divisions of the Canadian territories

Category:Beaufort Sea

Category:States and territories established in 1898

Category:1898 establishments in Yukon

Category:Arctic Ocean

Category:Provinces and territories of Canada