19 Facts About Iqaluit

In 1999, Iqaluit was designated the capital of Nunavut after the division of the Northwest Territories into two separate territories.

Iqaluit has the lowest population of any capital city in Canada.

Iqaluit has been a traditional fishing location used by Inuit and their predecessors, the Paleo-Eskimo and Thule, for thousands of years.

The name, Iqaluit, comes from Inuktitut Iqaluit which means place of many fish.

The founding of the Gordon Robertson Educational Centre, now Inuksuk High School, in the early 1970s at Iqaluit confirmed the government's commitment to the community as an administrative centre.

Related searches

Iqaluit is the northernmost city in Canada, at 63 degrees north of the Equator.

Iqaluit is located in the Everett Mountains, which rise from Koojesse Inlet, an inlet of Frobisher Bay, on the southeast part of Baffin Island.

Iqaluit has a tundra climate typical of the Arctic region, although it is well outside the Arctic Circle.

Temperatures of the winter months are comparable to other northern communities further west on the continent such as Yellowknife and to some extent even Fairbanks, Alaska, even though Iqaluit is a few degrees colder than the latter.

Climate of Iqaluit is colder than Gulf Stream locations on the same latitude.

Apex was where most Inuit lived when Iqaluit was a military site, and as such the suburb was off-limits to anyone not working at the base.

Much of Iqaluit's architecture is functional—designed to minimize material costs, while retaining heat and withstanding the climate.

Iqaluit has quite a young population, the median age of the population is more than 10 years younger than the national rate, 30.

Iqaluit is the smallest Canadian capital in terms of population, and the only capital that is not connected to other settlements by a highway.

Iqaluit Airport is a modern facility with a runway long enough for most modern jet aircraft.

Iqaluit shared its runway with the Royal Canadian Air Force until the Canadian Forces stopped using Iqaluit as a Canadian NORAD Region Forward Operating Locations.

Rumours that Iqaluit was an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle are false.

Iqaluit has no public transportation, although there is citywide taxi service.

Iqaluit is the only Canadian capital city not to have traffic signals, although some have been installed on a temporary basis.