Dictionary of Meaning
<<Back
Please select a letter:
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
0-9
Click here for Shopping
Iqaluit, Nunavut
*** Shopping-Tip: Iqaluit, Nunavut
{| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" width=300
|+
'''Iqaluit'''
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" |
{| border="0"
|-
| align="center" width="160px" |
Image:Nunavut flag.png 140px|right|Nunavut || align="center" width="140px" |
Image:Nu-coat-thb.jpg 140px|
|-
| align="center" width="160px" |
(Flag of Nunavut) .html">Coat of Arms of Nunavut
((Coat of Arms)
|}
|-
|'''
Governing Body'''
|
Iqaluit Municipal Council
|-
| '''
Location (geography) Location'''
| {{coor dm |63|45|N|68|33|W}}
|-
| '''Land area'''
| 52.34 km²
|-
| '''
Population (2001)'''
| 5,236
|-
| '''
Population Density'''
| 100 / km²
|-
|'''
Immigration Immigrant Population'''
| 104 (2%)
|-
| '''
Languages'''
|
English language English (Official) 68%
French language French (Official) 5%
Non Official 27%
|-
| '''
Religion'''
|
Protestant 80%
Catholic 16%
Atheism No religion 4%
|-
| '''
Postal Code'''
| X0A 0H0, X0A 1H0
|-
| '''
Time zone'''
|
North American Eastern Standard Time Zone EST
|-
|-
|}
'''Iqaluit''' ({{IPA|[iqaluit]}} in
IPA, '''�ᖃᓗ�ᑦ''' in
Inuktitut syllabics), formerly '''
Frobisher Bay''', is the territorial
capital and the largest community of
Canada's youngest territory,
Nunavut. Its population is about 60%
Inuit, a lower figure than in other parts of Nunavut. The town was selected to serve as the new territory's capital in a
1995 Nunavut Capital Plebiscite territory-wide referendum, in which it was chosen over
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Rankin Inlet and
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut Cambridge Bay.
The city is located in the hills rising from Koojesse Inlet, an inlet of
Frobisher Bay, on the south-east part of
Baffin Island. It is well to the east of
Nunavut's mainland, and northeast of
Hudson Bay. Inhabitants of Iqaluit are called ''Iqalummiut'' (singular: ''Iqalummiuq'').
Iqaluit has a typically arctic climate, with very cold winters and short summers that are too cool to permit the growth of trees. Average monthly temperatures are below freezing for eight months of the year. Precipitation averages less than 500 millimeters annually, but Iqaluit is much wetter than many other localities in the Canadian arctic islands, with the summer being the wettest season.
Iqaluit has the distinction of being the smallest Canadian capital city in terms of population and the only capital that cannot be accessed from the rest of Canada via a
highway.
About 5 km south-east from Iqaluit's center is the community of Apex. It is located on a small peninsula separating Koojesse Inlet from Tarr Inlet. Historically Apex was the place were most Inuit lived when Iqaluit was a military site and off-limits to anyone not working at the base. Located here are the women's shelter, a church, a primary school, and a bed-and-breakfast.
According to the
2001 Canada 2001 Census census, Iqaluit has a population of 5,236.
History
Image:MountiesIqaluitCanadaDay19990701 CopyrightKaihsuTai.JPG thumb|left|The [[Mounties on parade in Iqaluit, Canada Day 1999.]]
Begun in [1942] as an American airbase, Iqaluit's first permanent inhabitant was
Nakasuk, an
Inuk guide who helped American planners to choose the site. One of the city's elementary schools is named after him. Long regarded as a campsite and fishing spot by the Inuit, the place chosen had traditionally been named ''Iqaluit'' - "many fish" in
Inuktitut - but Canadian and American authorities baptised it ''Frobisher Bay'', after the official name of the body of water it abuts.
The
Hudson Bay Company moved its south Baffin operations to the neighbouring valley of ''Niaqunngut'', officially called ''Apex'', in
1949 to take advantage of the airfield. The population of ''Frobisher Bay'' increased rapidly during the construction of the
Distant Early Warning Line (DEW line, a system of radar stations, see
North American Aerospace Defense Command NORAD) in the mid-
1950s. Hundreds of construction workers, military personnel and administrative staff moved into the community, and several hundred Inuit followed to take advantage of the access to medical care and jobs the base provided. Of the town's 1,200 residents, 489 were reported to be Inuit in
1957. After
1959, the Canadian government established permanent services at Frobisher Bay, including full-time doctors, a school and social services. The Inuit population grew rapidly in response, as the government encouraged Inuit to settle permanently in communities with government services.
Image:Iqaluit-aerial.jpg frame|right|Iqaluit from the air, taken in September 2005
The American military left Iqaluit in
1963, as
ICBMs diminished the strategic value of the DEW line and arctic airbases, but Frobisher Bay remained the government's administrative and logistical centre for much of the eastern arctic.
1964 saw the election of the first elected community council, and
1979 the first mayor. The founding of the ''Gordon Robertson Educational Centre'' (now ''Inukshuk high school'') in the early-1970s at Iqaluit confirmed the government's commitment to the community as an administrative centre. At the time of its founding, it was the sole high school operating in more than a seventh of Canadian territory.
On
January 1,
1987, the name of this municipality was officially changed from "Frobisher Bay" to "Iqaluit" - aligning official usage with the name that the Inuit population had always used. In December
1995, it was selected in a referendum to be the future capital of
Nunavut and on
April 19,
2001 it was officially recognised as a city.
'''History Timeline'''
1576 - Englishman Martin Frobisher sails into Frobisher Bay believing he
has found the route to China
1861 - Charles Francis Hall, an American, camps at the Sylvia Grinnell River
and explores the waters of Koojesse Inlet, which he names after his
Inuit guide
1942 - U.S. Air Force selects Iqaluit’s current location as the site of a major
air base
1943 - The HBC moves its trading post from Ward Inlet to Apex
1955 - Frobisher Bay becomes the center for U.S. Canada Dew Line
construction operations
1963 - US military move out of Iqaluit
1964 - First community council formed; population of Frobisher Bay is 900
1970 - Frobisher Bay officially recognized as a Settlement
1974 - Settlement of Frobisher Bay gains Village status
1976 - Inuit present the Nunavut proposal to the Federal government
1979 - First mayor elected
1980 - Frobisher Bay designated as a Town
1982 - Government of Canada agrees in principle to the creation of Nunavut
1987 - Frobisher Bay officially becomes Iqaluit, reverting to its original
Inuktitut name meaning “place of many fish�
1993 - The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is signed in Iqaluit
1995 - Nunavut residents select Iqaluit as capital of the new territory
April 1, 1999 - The Territory of Nunavut officially comes into being
April 19, 2001 - Iqaluit receives its Order of Official status as a City
Transportation
Image:Iqaluit-airport.jpg frame|left|Iqaluit Airport, taken in September 2005
Located on an island remote from the Canadian highway system, Iqaluit is generally only accessible by aircraft and, subject to ice conditions, by boat.
Iqaluit Airport is a fully modern facility whose originally WWII-era runway is more than long enough for most classes of modern jet. Although there is a persistent rumour that Iqaluit is an emergency landing site for the
Space Shuttle, this is false. Iqaluit Airport is a centre for cold-weather testing of new aircraft, such as the
Airbus A380 in
February 2006.
In the middle of summer, a few ships - generally no larger than a
Liberty ship Liberty class vessel - transport bulk and heavy goods to the city. Iqaluit does not have a deep water harbour, so goods must be barged ashore, or the ship may be beached at high tide and the goods unloaded when the tide goes out.
It is in principle possible to reach Iqaluit on foot or by dog sled or snowmobile, both from other parts of Baffin Island and from the Quebec mainland when
Hudson strait freezes. This was how the Inuit traditionally travelled, and how they still do sometimes, but it is ill-advised for anyone who is not experienced in arctic travel.
Iqaluit has a local road system only stretching from the nearby community of
Apex, Nunavut Apex to the
Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park Reserve, a kilometre west of town. Iqaluit has no public transporation, however there is city-wide taxi service. Although a growing number of people have personal automobiles, the cost of shipping them and the wear-and-tear of the harsh arctic climate and notoriously rough roadways mean that
snowmobiles are the preferred form of personal transportation. Nevertheless, the ever-increasing number of personal automobiles is beginning to create traffic problems at peak times.
All-terrain vehicles are also an increasingly common form of transportation in most of the Canadian Arctic. Snowmobiles are extensively used to travel both within the city and in the surrounding area. In winter, dog sleds are still used, however this is primarily recreational. In winter, the nearby
Qaummaarviit Territorial Historic Park and the more remote
Katannilik Territorial Park are only accessible by snowmobile, dog sled or foot. In the summer, both are accessible by boat.
Image:CanadaDayIqaluit19990701 CopyrightKaihsuTai.JPG thumb|right|Canada Day celebrations in Iqaluit, 1999.
Architecture and Attractions
Much of Iqaluit's architecture is functional - designed to minimise material costs, while retaining heat and withstanding the climate. Early architecture runs from the
1950s military barracks of the original DEW line installation, through the
1970s white hyper-modernist
fibreglass block of the Nakasuk elementary school, to the lines of the steel-reinforced concrete high-rise complex on the hill above it. The newer buildings are more colourful and diverse, and closer to the norms of southern architecture, but largely unremarkable.
The two principal exceptions are
St. Jude's Cathedral (Iqaluit) St. Jude's Anglican Cathedral and the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Building. St. Jude's Cathedral is a white building shaped like an
igloo. Originally built by the parishioners, the altar is shaped like a traditional Inuit sled, and the cross is composed of two crossed
narwhal tusks. The interior of the cathedral was destroyed by fire on
5 November 2005.
The Legislative complex is remarkable for its colourful interior, adorned with some of the very best in Inuit art.
The city is also the location of the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, which houses a large collection of Inuit and arctic objects.
Just west of Iqaluit is the Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park Reserve. This park is characterized by the valley of the Sylvia Grinnell River. A small visitor's center with viewing platform is located on top of a hill overlooking scenic falls in the river.
Nearby on an island near the Peterhead inlet, is the Qaummaarviit Territorial Historic Park. It is a site with a long Inuit history and numerous artifacts have been recovered, including the remains of 11 semi-buried sod houses.
A little farther, across Frobisher Bay, are the Katannilik Territorial Park and the Soper Heritage River Park.
External links
-
The Official City of Iqaluit Website
-
Official Relocation Guide (PDF) Gives a good intro to lifestyle and services
-
Personal travel log with many photos
-
Information on the Iqaluit Airport in the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association ''Places to Fly'' directory
-
Iqaluit webcam via [http://www.cbc.ca/north/ CBC North]
-
A photo of St. Jude's Cathedral (with concrete block apartment complex in the background)
-
Charles 1 - Destination Iqaluit, Nunavut - Photos of the city, text in French.
-
CBC news account of cathedral fire.
{{Canada capitals}}
Category:Cities in Nunavut
Category:Coastal towns in Canada
Category:Communities in Nunavut
Category:Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada
de:Iqaluit
es:Iqaluit
fr:Iqaluit
ko:�칼루�트
id:Iqaluit
iu:�ᖃᓗ�ᑦ
nl:Iqaluit
ja:イカルイト
pl:Iqaluit (Nunavut)
pt:Iqaluit
simple:Iqaluit
fi:Iqaluit
sv:Iqaluit, Nunavut
zh:伊é?特
*** Shopping-Tip: Iqaluit, Nunavut
