Shocking Facts About Nunavut

Nunavut is one of the largest, newest and northernmost territory in Canada. It was separated on April 1, 1999 from the Northwest Territories, via the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act through boundaries that had been drawn contemplatively in 1993. Creation of Nunavut resulted in first major change to political map of Canada in 1949 since the incorporation of province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Nunanut comprises of major portion of the Northern Canada, but most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Nunavut’s vast territories make it 5th largest country subdivision in the world, as after Greenland it is North America’s 2nd largest city.

Capital Iqaluit on Baffin Island in east was chosen by capital plebiscite in 1995. Other communities include regional centres of Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet. Nunavut also includes Ellesmere Island to far north as well as the southern and eastern portion of Victoria Island and Akimiski Island in the James Bay far to southeast of rest of the territory.

Shocking Facts About Nunavut

1. Half Population Is Children: Around 52.1% of entire population of Nunavut is under age group of 20, which makes Nunavut a youngest region in Canada.

2. Oil Is Only Heat: Nunavut relies on oil to heat up their businesses and homes. There are no trees in the territory due to which wood fire in unsustainable and price of electric heat get outrageous which leaves the residents with only one choice. Oil is being delivered once a year and get distributed among residents throughout remainder of the time.

3. Water Restriction: Residents of Nunavut have water tank along side of their oil tanks. Water tanks are topped up daily which means that each home has limit of having water around 225L in a day. This sound a lot as normal top load washer uses 140L per day.

4. Highest Cost of Food: As Nunavit is far from secluded territories in Canada with no roads and most of the area belongs to islands, cost of food is too high because they need planes to fly in. Staples like eggs, milk and bread are up by 10 times.

5. No Single Paved Road: Nunavut don’t have any of the paved highways and paved roads between communities and small towns. So there is roughly around 8km of paving in city of Iqaluit.

6. No Police: Nunavut has city police or no local, Iqaluit has a single branch of RCMP with graduated officers who have been placed into the city for their training purpose.

7. Homes On Stilts: Homes in Nunavut are built on stilts, minimum 1 metre above the ground level. This is because the residents of have to deal with the permafrost round the year, especially there where ice get frozen. If homes get built without the stilts then the heat from inside melts permafrost over the time and home get sink in the ground.

8. Alcohol Is Illegal: Selling or Buying alcohol is illegal in Nunavut. This territory runs on rules which are sets by the community elders and one of the rule is ban on sale of alcohol, this helps to create ton of the new issues in territory as this makes drink harder to get, and very expensive.