Nunavut

Nunavut is new – the territory came into being on April 1, 1999 and is comprised of what was once the eastern portion of the Northwest Territories (including Baffin Island). Nunavut is not only the youngest territory, it also has the youngest population in Canada with the median age of its approximately 26,745 inhabitants being 22.1 years. Eighty-five percent of the territory's population is Inuit – signs are written in English and Inuktitut – and the word Nunavut means "our land" in Inuktitut.

At a size of approximately 1.99 million square kilometers (1.24 million square miles), Nunavut is approximately one-fifth the size of Canada but its population density is only one person per 70 square kilometers (43 square miles). The capital, Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay), is located on Baffin Island and only has 5,236 inhabitants. The majority of flights to Iqaluit originate in Ottawa, Ontario, but there are also regional carriers and an airline from Greenland. At present, Nunavut has less than 32 kilometers (20 miles) of roads. But money has been pouring in from the Canadian federal government to build more roads and schools and to protect natural resources.

Like the territory from which it sprang, Nunavut is cold. Snow is possible, even in the summer. In Iqaluit, located less than 320 kilometers (200 miles) from the Arctic Circle, summertime highs average around 11C (50F) with winter highs ranging from -26C (-14F) to -33C (-28F) and accompanied by little or no daylight.

Nunavut is a land of vast tundra crowned in the winter darkness by the nightly dance of the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights. The territory is home to a large variety of wildlife: muskox and caribou run across the tundra and polar bears roam ice floes in search of seals and walruses, while whales swim in the icy waters.

The great natural expanse of Nunavut offers opportunities for adventure tours, eco-tourism, birdwatching, kayaking, dogsledding, hunting, and fishing.

More than 27% of the territory's population is involved (at some level) in art production – soapstone carvings, prints, tapestries, and film/broadcasting. Zacharias Kunuk's Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) gained widespread acclaim after it won the Prix de la Caméra d'Or at Cannes in 2001.

Nunavut is a great place to be immersed in an ancient culture and experience the vastness of nature.

See our 18 Jobs in Nunavut

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