Hall Beach is located on the shore of Foxe Basin on the Melville Peninsula. With a current population of just above 720, it was created when a Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line site was built in the area in 1957 to help monitor Canadian air space in the Far North. Though the DEW line is no longer operational, there is a more technologically advanced North Warning System radar site in the community that replaces it.
The most northern community in Canada, Grise Fiord is located in the High Arctic on Ellesmere Island. Picturesque and remote, it is surrounded by high hills and, for most of the year, sea ice.
Local residents of this 160-person hamlet call Grise Fiord Ausuiktuq, “the place that never thaws out,” referring to the glacier above and behind the mountains of the community. Visitors come to Grise Fiord to witness its spectacular beauty and wildlife. Researchers travel to Ellesmere Island or to the famed “Ancient Forest” on Axel Heiberg Island.
The Inuktitut name for Gjoa Haven is Usqsuqtuuq, which means “a place with plenty of fat.” The name refers to the fatty fish and seal that were famously abundant in the area.
The Inuktitut name for Cape Dorset, Kingait, refers to the picturesque hills that surround the community. Located on southwestern Baffin Island, Cape Dorset has been inhabited for over 1000 years. Thule and Inuit archeological sites are located in the Mallikjuaq Historic Park, adjacent to the community.
Coral Harbour is on the southern shore of Southampton Island, on the northern rim of Hudson Bay. The Inuktitut name for the community is Salliq, "large flat island in front of the mainland," while the English name refers to the fossilized coral found in the harbour.
Clyde River, which is Kangiqtugaapik, or “nice little inlet,” to the Inuit, can be found on the eastern shore of Baffin Island in the shelter of Patricia Bay. A town of just over 900 people, it is located on a flood plain, surrounded by spectacular fiords that stretch all the way into the Barnes Icecap. The mountains, icebergs and glaciers in the Clyde River area attract rock and ice climbers from around the world. There is also a multitude of animals to be seen, including caribou, narwhals and other sea mammals.
Chesterfield Inlet is located on the northwest coast of Hudson Bay, just north of Rankin Inlet. Its traditional name is Igluigaarjuk, which translates to “place with a few igloos.”
Regional centre for the Kitikmeot, Cambridge Bay (pop.1,680) is a hub for business in western Nunavut. The people in this community are active in business and government, catering to tourists visiting the area for fishing and outdoor experiences and exploration companies working on Victoria Island. The Inuktitut name for Cambridge Bay is Iqaluktuuttiaq, which translates to “a good place with lots of fish.” For more information about Cambridge Bay, visit their website at: www.cambridgebay.ca.
Baker Lake, or Qamani’tuuq,is situated inland, at the huge widening of the mouth of the Thelon River, close to the geographic centre of Canada. Baker Lake (pop. 1,950) is well known for its arts and craft community. Artists and studios promoting local arts and crafts, such as the Inuit Heritage Centre, the Jessie Oonark Centre, and well-established independent art galleries, are assets to the community.
The name Arviat comes from arviq, the Inuktitut name for bowhead whale. The community (population 2500 roughly) is on the western shore of Hudson Bay, north of Churchill, Manitoba. Arviat’s land and waters are rich in wildlife. The McConnell River Migratory Bird Sanctuary, south of town, is full of thousands of nesting waterfowl. In the fall, beluga whales are frequently seen in the bays around town and caribou are often spotted near the community. Arviat is a diverse community where traditional knowledge and values are maintained in harmony with practical economic development.