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French (Official) 5%
Non Official 27%
Catholic 16%
No religion 4%
Iqaluit ( in IPA, ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ 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, with remaining peoples originating from other parts of Canada. Iqaluit was selected to serve as the new territory's capital in a territory-wide referendum, in which it was chosen over Rankin Inlet and 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 (Niaqunngut). 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 census, Iqaluit has a population of 5,236.
History
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 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. 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.
One of the more well known and popular residents is the local "super hero" Polarman. His goal is to clean up the town and assist young people.
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
- 1949 - 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
- 1958 - telephone exchange service established by Bell Canada
- 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
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 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. The city is currently planing a deepwater port.Deepwater Port Project.
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 to the Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park Reserve, a kilometre west of town. Iqaluit currently has no public transportation, however there is city-wide taxi service. (There was bus service in the city before, but lack of riders forced the closure of the 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.
Both residents and businesses identify their locations mostly by building number, and occasionally by the name of a prominent structure. Residents must know where in the city certain building numbers are located; numbers tend to be aggregated in blocks, so a person might say that they live "in the 2600s" (twenty-six hundreds). Around 2003, street names were adopted, although there were delays in finalizing them and then posting the signs. Street numbers have not been assigned, and building numbers continue to be used.
Architecture and Attractions
Much of Iqaluit's architecture is functional - designed to minimize 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 principal exception is the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Building, which is remarkable for its colourful interior, adorned with some of the very best in Inuit art. Another distinctive building was St. Jude's Anglican Cathedral which was a white building shaped like an igloo. Originally built by the parishioners, the altar was shaped like a traditional Inuit sled, and the cross composed of two crossed narwhal tusks. Sadly, a fire severely affected the cathedral structure and interior on 5 November 2005, and the cathedral was finally demolished on June 1, 2006
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 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.
Cities in Nunavut | Coastal towns in Canada | Communities in Nunavut | Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada | Qikiqtaaluk Region
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