Nunavut Facts and Climate, Canada
Northern Western Canada has Culture and Year-Round Activities
Dec 7, 2007
Nunavut, Canada is located in the northern part of the country. It was created on April 1, 1999 and is home to a predominance of Inuit people. The land itself spreads over two million square kilometres and rises up the North Pole. Baffin, Kitkmeot and Kivalliq make up the regions of the area, each with their own small communities. Iqaluit stands as the capital on Baffin Island and has a population of approximately 6,200 people.
Nunavut Facts
- it has the youngest median age in Canada, at 22.1 years
- visitors must register their wilderness plans with the RCMP if they want to travel on their own
- bears live all over Nunavut, so special care needs to be taken if camping in the outdoors
- VISA is the most widely accepted credit card, as are debit cards
- Nunavut has three time zones: Baffin is Eastern Standard Time (EST), Kivalliq and Kitkmeot are Central Standard (CST), and from Cambridge Bay west is Mountain Standard Time (MST)
Nunavut Climate and Activities
Many wonder if it's always snowing this far north and the answer is no. Nunavut has distinct seasons just like the rest of Canada. July and August are the summer months and activities like hiking, fishing, hunting, kayaking and whale watching are popular. Temperatures reach 12 degrees celcius on Baffin Island and up to 24 degrees celcius on the mainland.
Springtime usually comes from March to June, with temperatures ranging from -20 to -1 degrees celcius. Not tropical, but the sometimes 18 hours a day of bright sunshine make it seem warmer. Dogsled trips, skidooing, hamlet celebrations and cross-country skiing are all that much more pleasurable in the sun. Winter begins as early as September, with the ice beginning to freeze by October. Spring and summer are the times to go.
Getting to Nunavut
Taking a flight to Nunavut is the only way to get there. There are no road, ferry or train connections to the rest of Canada. Flights depart with Calm Air, Canadian North and First Air from Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg in western Canada. From eastern Canada, flights depart from Ottawa and Montreal.
Getting Around Nunavut
The communities are spread out and not accesible by car. Flights between them are the only way to get around, except for the one stretch of 21 kilometres from Arctic Bay to Nanisivik. Airlines servicing the area are Inuit Air, Unaalik Aviation, Air Nunavut and Ken Borek Air.
Contact Nunavut Tourism for more information or any questions. They are a non-profit membership association that develops the tourism industry in an environmentally and culturally sensitive way. Toll free: 1-866-NUNAVUT (686-2888).
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