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Nunavut is the
largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated
officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the
Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the
actual boundaries had been established in 1993. The creation of
Nunavut – meaning "our land" in Inuktitut – resulted in the first
major change to Canada's map since the incorporation of the new
province of Newfoundland in 1949.
Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada, and most of
the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, making it the fifth-largest country
subdivision in the world. The capital Iqaluit (formerly "Frobisher
Bay") on Baffin Island, in the east, was chosen by the 1995 capital
plebiscite. Other major communities include the regional centres of
Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay. Nunavut also includes Ellesmere
Island to the north, as well as the eastern and southern portions of
Victoria Island in the west and Akimiski Island in James Bay to the
far south.
Nunavut is both the least populous and the largest in geography of
the provinces and territories of Canada. One of the most remote,
sparsely settled regions in the world, it has an estimated
population of over 33,000, mostly Inuit, spread over an area the
size of Western Europe. Nunavut is also home to the northernmost
permanently inhabited place in the world, Alert. |
