Northwest Territories

The name was originally applied to the territory acquired in 1870 from the Hudson's Bay Company and Great Britain - Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory - which lay northwest of central Canada. In 1880 Great Britain also transferred to Canada the arctic islands, north of the mainland, thereby adding to the territories.  

Northwest Territories
Flag
Capital	Yellowknife
Largest City	Yellowknife
Official Languages	English, French and Native Languages
Area	1,346,106 km2 (Ranked 3rd)
Population (2010)	43,529 (est.) (Ranked 11th)
GDP per capita	C$97,923 (Ranked 1st)
Abbreviation	NT
Web Site	www.gov.nt.ca

Large portions of Northwest Territories were subsequently removed to create the provinces of Manitoba (1870), Saskatchewan (1905) and Alberta (1905); the territories of Yukon (1898) and Nunavut (1999); and to add to the areas of Manitoba (1880, 1912), Ontario (1912), and Quebec (1912).

The Northwest Territories and Nunavut are the only jurisdictions in Canada that do not operate on a party structure, and are the only Legislative Assemblies that follows a system of consensus government. This means that each member is free to vote as he/she wishes on any issue and approval of each issue requires agreement by a majority of members.

The Northwest Territories is a land of contrasts: office towers and igloos; midnight sun and midday darkness; skilled tradesmen and shrewd trappers; dense evergreen forests and vast expanses of barren tundra. It occupies the top third of Canada and stretches from the 60th parallel to the true North Pole. Up here, caribou far out number people, and the prehistoric muskox still roam. This is where northern lights dance over world class rivers and some of the largest lakes in the world. It is a land rich in minerals and wrapped in history; where Dene culture and Inuit art are a part of their daily lives.

• Immigration to Northwest Territories
• Jobs in Northwest Territories
• Northwest Territories Universities and Colleges

Northwest Territories Facts

• Second largest of the three territories in Canada
• Extends from the 60th parallel to the North Pole
• Includes several large islands located in the Arctic Ocean
• The Yukon (Territory) is to the west and Arctic Ocean is north.
• Nunavut (Territory) is east, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan are south.
• Yellowknife is the capital city. It is also known as the Diamond Capital of North America. 
• Flower - Mountain Avens, tree - Tamarack, bird - Gyrfalcon 
• Motto - Land of the Midnight Sun

The People

• Population about 42,514 (2008 estimate Statistics Canada)
• More than half of the people are aboriginal - Dene, Inuit (Inuvialuit) and Métis.
• The largest community is the capital city of Yellowknife.
• Population of Yellowknife was 18,700 in 2006 (Statistics Canada)
• Other communities include Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik.
• Most people are living in the Mackenzie River Valley or around Great Slave Lake. 

History

• The first people were the Dene and the Inuit. 
• Dene lived along the Mackenzie Valley ten thousand years ago.
• The first Inuit may have crossed the Bering Strait about five thousand years ago.
• Am explorer named Martin Frobisher came in 1576.
• Alexander Mackenzie discovered the Mackenzie River in 1789.
• Fur trading posts were built along the river.
• Communities grew around the trading posts.
• In 1870 the area became Canada's first territory. 
• Yukon, Nunavut, Alberta, Saskatchewan, parts of Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec were once part of the N.W.T. 
• In 1999 the former Northwest Territories was divided, creating the new territory of Nunavut.

Land and Water

• Mackenzie and Franklin Mountain Ranges are in the western part of the N.W.T.
• Great Bear Lake is eighth largest lake in the world.
• Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in Canada and tenth largest lake in the world.
• Mackenzie River is Canada's longest river (1738 km). 
• The entire river system is 4241 km long making the Mackenzie River the second longest river in North America. 
• Part of the land is rocky where moss, tough grasses and small willows grow.(tundra)
• Part of the territory has trees like black spruce, white spruce, birch, poplar.(taiga)

Climate

• Long nights during the winter and long days during the summer
• In the arctic and subarctic climatic zones
• Long cold winters with temperatures of ranging from -20° C to -50° C with the wind chill
• Subarctic climate in the Mackenzie Valley brings longer and warmer summers

Resources/Industries

• Three diamond mines operating in 2007
• Many mines have shut down
• Oil and natural gas exploration 
• Hunting and trapping of mink, wolf, lynx, fox, marten and polar bear
• Commercial fishing on Great Slave Lake (lake trout, whitefish, and pickerel)
• Tourism - people come to see the wildlife and natural beauty.
• The highways are mostly all-weather gravel roads, with some paved sections.
• There are long distances between service stations. 
• The Dempster Highway connects Inuvik in the north with Dawson, Yukon.
• NWT Highway 1 and Mackenzie Highway provide access to Alberta via connecting roads from Yellowknife and other communities. 
• From January to March, truckers drive on ice roads plowed on frozen lakes to deliver supplies. 
• A number of airlines connect the Northwest Territories communities.

People and Places

• The Inuvialuit Drum Dancers perform locally, regionally and nationally.
• Nellie Cournoyea (from Aklavik) became the first aboriginal woman in Canada to lead a provincial or territorial government. She was premier of the N.W.T. (1991-1995)
• Ethel Blondin-Andrew (from Fort Norman) became the first aboriginal woman to be elected to the Canadian parliament (in 1988). 
• Actress Margot Kidder (from Yellowknife) played Lois Lane in the Superman movies.
• Georges Erasmus (from Fort Rae) was a politician and national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. He was a leader in the struggle for native rights and land claims. 
• Kenojuak Ashevak and Pitseolak Ashoona - Inuit artists
• Wood Buffalo National Park - home of the wood bison, nesting site for whooping cranes. 
• Nahanni National Park - waterfalls, hot springs, glaciers, mountains and canyons.