Yukon

Yukon Territory takes its name from the Loucheux Native name Yu-kun-ah for the "great river" which drains most of its area. Lying in the northwest corner of Canada's continental mainland, isolated by rugged mountains, it shares a common border and many characteristics with its American neighbour, Alaska. Historically, it is indelibly associated with the great Klondike gold rush.

Yukon
Flag
Capital	Whitehorse
Largest City	Whitehorse
Official Languages	English, French
Area	482,443 km2 (Ranked 9th)
Population (2010)	34,246 (est.) (Ranked 12th)
GDP per capita	C$51,154 (Ranked 3rd)
Abbreviation	YT
Web Site	www.gov.yk.ca

The modern history of Yukon Territory dates from 1825, when Sir John Franklin visited the north coast. The Hudson's Bay Company established trading posts along the Yukon River in the 1840s, and discoveries of gold in creeks and rivers began to be reported in the 1860s. The region remained virtually uninhabited, however, until 1896, the year of the Klondike gold strike. Two years later, at the peak of the gold rush, the population of Dawson alone was more than 40 000. Some $100 million worth of gold was discovered in the region between 1896 and 1904.

With the subsequent exhaustion of rich placer deposits, the population began to decline; by 1921 there were only 4157 persons in the territory. The population began to rise during World War II with the construction of a section of the Alaska Highway; in 1941 it was 4914. Further increase was stimulated in the 1950s by the setting up of distant early warning (DEW) line radar stations. Since 1960, with the resurgence of mining, the population has continued to grow, more rapidly than in the nation as a whole. Between 1971 and 1991 the rate of increase was 51.1 percent, nearly double the rate for Canada as a whole.

• Immigration to Yukon
• Jobs in Yukon
• Yukon Universities and Colleges

Yukon Facts

• The smallest of the three territories in Canada
• The four Atlantic provinces are smaller
• Located in the northwest corner of Canada 
• East - Northwest Territories, south - British Columbia 
• North - Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean), west - the U.S. state of Alaska
• Capital city is Whitehorse 
• Flower - Fireweed, bird - Common Raven, tree - Sub-alpine Fir. 
• "Yukon" is from the native word "Yu-kun-ah" meaning "great river"
  

The People

• The population is about 33,294 (2008).
• About 75 percent live in the capital city of Whitehorse (24,890 people in 2008). 
• Some other communities are Dawson City (1,889); Watson Lake (1,596); Haines Junction (818); Mayo (460); Carmacks (453);Carcross (431). note-populations as of June 2008
• People have come from other parts of Canada and Europe to live in the Yukon.
• About 26 percent of the people are Aboriginal (2006 census).
• There are fourteen First Nations, speaking eight different languages.
• Yukon has a strong and active Francophone community.

History

• Aboriginal people may have migrated from Asia across a Bering Sea land bridge.
• They hunted, fished and trapped to survive. 
• Russian traders visited the area in the 18th century.
• In 1825 John Franklin followed the Arctic coastline and reached Yukon.
• In 1840 Britsh fur trader and explorer Robert Campbell arrived.
• Forts were built so the Hudson's Bay Company could trade for furs with the trappers.
• In 1870 the Government of Canada acquired the territory from the Hudson's Bay Company.
• The entire area became known as the Northwest Territories.
• In 1895 boundaries were drawn and Yukon became a district of the Northwest Territories.
• Klondike Gold Rush in 1897-1898 brought many people.
• Thousands of prospectors formed a "tent city" called Dawson. 
• In 1898 the area became Canada's second territory. 
• Dawson was the capital city until 1953.
• By 1899 the gold was almost gone so people left.
• Building of the Alaska highway in 1942 brought hundreds of workers.
• The highway (1,520 miles or 2,446 km) was constructed in eight months and twelve days.
• Whitehorse replaced Dawson as the capital in 1953.
• Canadian government opened the Dempster Highway in 1979.
• It is an all-weather road that crosses the Arctic Circle.

Land and Water

• There are many rivers, lakes and streams.
• The main rivers are the Klondike, Peel, Pelly, Stewart, Porcupine and Yukon.
• Yukon River is 3,700 km (2,300 miles) long, making it Canada's second longest river.
• The northern region is "tundra" : rocky, moss, tough grasses, small willow shrubs 
• The soil is frozen so growing crops is difficult
• Farther south there are forests.
• Kluane National Park in the southwest corner contains large icefields and high mountains. 
• Mount Logan in Kluane National Park is the highest mountain in Canada (nearly 6000 m.).
• The volcanoes in the Yukon are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
• Three of Canada's national parks are in the Yukon.

Climate

• Arctic climate in the far north and the mountainous areas
• Subarctic climate in the rest of the territory
• Summer temperatures reach 25º C or more
• Winter temperatures range from +4º C to as low as -51º C
• Short summers and the days are long in the area above the Arctic Circle 
• Short frost free season
• Light precipitation, averaging only 250 mm annually at Whitehorse
• Above the Arctic Circle, Yukon is known as "the land of the midnight sun".
• For three months in the summer sunlight is almost continuous. 
• In the winter there is darkness for three months. 

Resources/Industries

• Mining accounts for more than 30% of the economy (gold, zinc and lead) 
• There are large undeveloped deposits of zinc-lead, silver, iron ore, copper, nickel and coal.
• The second largest industry is tourism.
• People come to hike, raft, camp, rock climb, fish, see the wildlife and to hunt. 
• Beaver, lynx, wolf, wolverine, muskrat, marten, mink, otter, weasel and fox are trapped and the furs are sold. 

People and Places

• Audrey McLaughlin was a member of parliament for the Yukon and the first woman to lead a national party (the N.D.P.)
• Robert W. Service (1874-1958) was "the poet of the Yukon". He wrote poems about life during the Klondike Gold Rush.
• Ted Harrison, an English artist, painted landscapes of the Yukon.
• Watson Lake (near the southern border) is the site of Signpost Forest.
• Dawson City has several historic sites.
• Yukon Quest (known as the toughest sled dog race in the world) runs more than a thousand miles between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon. 
• The Alaska Highway goes through the Yukon.
• The Klondike Highway connects Whitehorse and Dawson and goes to mining communities.
• The Robert Campbell Highway connects to the Alaska Highway and the Klondike Highway.
• The Dempster Highway extends from Dawson to Inuvik NWT. 
• Several trucking companies operate in Yukon.
• Greyhound Canada provides bus service along the Alaska Highway. 
• There are several airports.