Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories facts

Capital: Yellowknife
Population: 41,070 (2021)
Date of Admission: 1870
Territorial motto: N/A
Provincial flower: mountain avens
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) – (GMT − 7 hours)
Total Area (Sq Km): 1,346,106
Total Area (Sq Mi): 519,735

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Quick links: About, Major places, History, Geography, Climate, Google Maps, Facts, What to do, Accommodation, Pictures, Useful information, Further readings.

The Northwest Territories comprises three main geographic regions: the Arctic Archipelago, the Arctic mainland, and the Mackenzie Valley. The arctic mainland can also be referred to as the Barren Lands, which lies northeast of the treeline. To the west is the Mackenzie Valley area, which is part of a fourth region called the Canadian Shield. The territories include four of Canada’s physiographic regions: the Cordillera, Interior Plains, Canadian Shield, and Arctic Lands.

About the Northwest Territories, Canada

The Northwest Territories is located in northern and northwestern Canada. For much of the 20th century, this region was more than one-third of Canada’s total land area. It stretched from the east to the west across North America’s roof. In 1999, Nunavut was created out of the eastern section of the Northwest Territories and reduced its size by more than half.

The Northwest Territories are at the northernmost part of Canada, bordering Nunavut to the east and Yukon to the west. The provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia are located in the south, while Nunavut borders the territories in the north. This territory covers around 1,346,106 square km / 519,735 square miles. The capital is Yellowknife, and it has a population of 41,070 people.

Principal cities and towns

Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Smith.

History

Icelandic traders likely visited parts of Canada in the Middle Ages. Still, records indicate that exploration didn’t happen until Martin Frobisher’s voyage in search of the Northwest Passage to the east in 1576. Expeditions in the 17th century also failed to find the route, but they added knowledge to Arctic regions. Interest in finding the route waned in the 18th century, but whaling ships became abundant in Arctic waters as time passed. The first recorded exploration of American territory was by Samuel Hearne, who traveled from the west coast of Hudson Bay to the mouth of the Coppermine River on the northern coast between 1770-1772. In addition, Montreal-based fur traders did most inland explorations. Others like Alexander Mackenzie explored; he traveled down river bearing his name and reached the Arctic Ocean in 1789.

Throughout the 19th century, people across Canada, Europe, and the USA were looking for a Northwest Passage. Sir John Franklin and other explorers discovered much of Mackenzie District in what is now Northern Canada (Fort Smith & Inuvik) during the 1820s. In 1838–1839, explorer Thomas Simpson explored more parts of Northern Canada while searching for the lost Franklin expedition of 1845–1848. Other expeditions followed this groundbreaking work to the Arctic, who were trying to reach the North Pole, such as Robert Gary Jack (1913), Roald Amundsen (1926), and Richard E. Byrd (1930). However, more practical activities overshadowed these exploits, such as identifying the resource potential of Canadian National Parks in the 1920s-1960s, which began to transform this vast wilderness into a valuable national family heirloom.

Settlements in the Northwest Territories originated to serve whaling fleets and fur traders. In 1852, missionaries became active in the Mackenzie Valley and the eastern Arctic toward the end of the century. No resident administrative authorities were established within the present limits of the Northwest Territories until the 20th century. In 1870, both Rupert’s Land and the Northwestern Territory were ceded to Canada. The Arctic Islands claimed by Britain also were put under Canadian jurisdiction in 1880. By 1912, these settlements had returned to their original limits. Between 1908 and 1909, responsibility for maintaining law and order passed from a private company operating in the area to a force explicitly created for that purpose: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Fur traders, missionaries, and the police directed the life of the Northwest Territories until the 1920s. That was when the discovery of oil near Fort Norman on the Mackenzie River prompted the Canadian government to establish a territorial administration for that area. Mining replaced the fur trade as the most crucial industry in Mackenzie District in the 1930s. World War II brought much government-financed construction activity to these territories, but it took a while until they started coming into their own. This is because there were a few setbacks initially with transportation, communications, and navigation infrastructure problems. After World War II, the construction of the Mackenzie Highway to Great Slave Lake and the Distant Early Warning radar network (the DEW line) continued this process. Meanwhile, a significant expansion of government-sponsored health and welfare services transformed living conditions in these territories.

Canada substantially slowed development in the 1970s. This was partly due to growing opposition from aboriginal groups to the commercial exploitation of resources in the area. A Canadian Supreme Court justice conducted an inquiry into the proposed Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline and recognized that environmental issues need to be acknowledged. With the help of aboriginal groups and the federal and territorial governments, agreements were signed to address these concerns. The most fundamental change came from a new act that created Nunavut. After a transitional period ending on April 1, 1999, Nunavut officially emerged.

In the early 21st century, natural resource exploitation continued to influence economic development in the Northwest Territories. The diamond mining and energy industries played a prominent role in this period. Environmental issues remained important, and politics were shaped by government efforts to resolve Aboriginal land claims and related issues of Aboriginal self-government. The territorial government also increased efforts to deal with social problems, such as drug abuse and high rates of suicide.

Geography

Northern Canada borders two of Canada’s other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and four provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The territory has a land area of 1,183,085 sq kilometer / 456,792 sq mi.

There are two main types of landscape represented in the Yukon region. First, the boreal forest borders the northernmost part of the province and is roughly parallel to the border with Nunavut. The second landscape type extends westward from near the Mackenzie River Delta on the Arctic Ocean to northwestern Manitoba. Southwest of this line lies flat, poorly drained plains underlain by rock 1 billion years old or more in Eastern Canada. North and east of that point stretch out largely barren grounds, with terrain becoming increasingly varied moving westward.

The Mackenzie Mountains in the west and southwest contain the highest and most rugged relief in the territories; elevations reach 2,773 meters / 9,098 feet at an unnamed peak near Mount Sir James MacBrien itself, 2,762 meters / 9,062 feet. In addition, even in these regions, there are enormous differences in surface vegetation and animal life due to climatic restrictions.

The most favorable conditions can be found in the Mackenzie Lowlands, where mixed black and white spruce forests and deciduous trees extend north to the Mackenzie Delta. With only 70 frost-free days per year and a short growing season for herbaceous plants, wildflowers, grasses, and root crops all grow abundantly for a brief time. The area is also home to many species of valuable fur-bearing animals like muskrats and beavers. Moose, wolves, black bears, brown bears, and mountain goats are also native to the area.

The climate of the Mackenzie Lowlands is much milder than that of the other parts of the territory. However, it’s still cold enough to limit navigation on the Mackenzie River system to about four months out of every year. Permafrost can create serious problems when constructing buildings, as it causes unstable subsoil foundations due to groundwater.

The land transforms into the Precambrian mass known as the Canadian Shield, north and east of the Mackenzie Lowlands and the tree line. This is where Great Bear Lake (31,328 square km / 12,096 square miles) and Great Slave Lake (28,568 square km / 11,030 square miles) are located. The islands to the north have a mountainous appearance and were formed hundreds of millions of years ago. Trees become sparse in this area and eventually disappear; they are replaced by tough vegetation that grows in any available space. In this so-called barren land, the soils (if they exist on the heavily glaciated surface) are usually sandy and thin. Mosses, lichens, and many small, hardy flowering plants survive in these conditions. This ecosystem is home to varied wildlife, including small burrowing mammals like the Arctic fox, and larger animals like caribou and musk ox. The musk ox was on the verge of extinction until it was put under protection by the Canadian government in the early 20th century. Several caribou subspecies are now at risk. Seals, walruses, and polar bears inhabit coastal regions during summer; bird life becomes plentiful during summer, with some bird species staying all year round, including ptarmigans and ravens. Mosquitoes abound in summer when other insects are abundant too.

The geographical features in Northwest Territories include Great Bear Lake, the largest lake entirely within Canada, and Great Slave Lake, the most profound body of water in North America at 614 m / 2,014 ft, as well as the Mackenzie River and the canyons of the Nahanni National Park Reserve, a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Climate

The Northwest Territories extends for more than 1,300,000 km2 / 500,000 sq mi) and has a large climate variant from south to north. The southern part of the territory (most of the mainland portion) has a subarctic climate, while the islands and northern coast have a polar climate.

In the Mackenzie Lowlands, it’s usually pretty warm and dry in the summer and cold and long in the winter. During the summer, the average temperature is often 16 °C / 60 °F at most settlements along the Mackenzie River. In the winter, Yellowknife averages −27 °C / –16 °F. It’s cold year-round North and east of the timberline, with an average temperature of 10 °C / 50 °F even in July. The climate stays mild throughout “average” years.

Google Maps Northwest Territories

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Did you know?

The Native American Indian population is more than one-third of the territorial population, comprising the Dene and the Métis.
The Dene are concentrated in the Mackenzie Valley area of Canada. They belong to several different tribes belonging to the Athabaskan language family.
Government treaties were made with the groups living south of Great Slave Lake in 1899 and those living farther north only in 1921.
The Inuit constitute a little over 1% of Canada’s population. They live mainly in the northern coastal areas, especially Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon.
The indigenous tribes of the territory once had a nomadic way of life; the Inuit, in particular, survived by adjusting to the harsh natural environment. That balance was disrupted when Europeans established permanent settlements with firearms and destroyed the habitat, which led to a dwindling food supply and continued social unrest.
In 1877, the territorial government made French an official language. After a long and heated debate about this, the members in 1888 voted for French to no longer be an official language. A few conflicts with the Canadian government wanting to make French the only language led to a decisive vote on January 19, 1892. The members of Parliament voted in favor of English being the only language used in Parliament.
The census in 2021 shows that Christianity had over 50% of the population, down from 67% in 2001.

It has never been successful in introducing domestic reindeer and other domesticated animals in this part of the world. Most aboriginal people now live in towns and small settlements. Hunting and fishing provide basic food, but these settlements depend on imported food, fuel, and other necessities.
The territories are among the most sparsely populated habitable regions of the world. Nearly all the population lives in small settlements along the North River and on the mainland, with smaller numbers on both coasts.
The economies of these areas are dependent on the exploitation of natural resources. However, high production costs and transportation problems inhibit the development of many of the territories’ mineral resources. One prominent example is the western Arctic coastal regions, where petroleum and natural gas fields remain largely untapped.
Government assistance in developing major resources mainly includes roads, electric power facilities, mapping, and geologic services.
While some fields are usable and arable in the Mackenzie Valley, farming is not profitable. Some field crops, such as potatoes and berries, can be grown locally, but most food products must be imported from regions outside the area, further increasing costs.
The Fort Smith area is home to most of the region’s approximately 330,000 square km / 130,000 square miles of forests. While much of the surrounding land hosts large stands of marketable timber, many sawmills limit themselves to local processing.
Some traditional pursuits, such as trapping, continue to provide income for some aboriginal populations living in Mackenzie. Muskrat, beaver, marten, mink, and lynx are the most important furs taken in the Mackenzie area, while Arctic fox remains the principal fur in the Arctic regions. Fishing and hunting of sea mammals also provide some employment.
Uranium was mined at Port Radium on Great Bear Lake in the 1930s, initially for the production of radium. Later, during World War II and after, uranium mining was also conducted.
Almost all passenger and freight traffic is carried by plane. Flights between Edmonton, Alberta, and the major settlements in the Mackenzie Valley typically link to Yellowknife.
The transportation of heavy freight by water is primarily supplemented in the southern region of Fort Smith by the Mackenzie Highway. This highway runs from Hay River to the Trans-Canada railroad systems in Alberta. The drainage area is connected to Dawson, Yukon, by the Dempster Highway.
During the winter, many international visitors come to Yellowknife to watch the auroras.

What to do in the Northwest Territories

There is no shortage of outdoor activities and sights to see in the Northwest Territories. There is something for everyone, from hiking and camping in the many national parks to fishing and canoeing in the pristine lakes and rivers.

For those who love to hike, there are plenty of trails to explore, ranging from easy walks to more challenging climbs. For those who prefer to spend their time on the water, there are endless opportunities for fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. And for those who want to experience the true beauty of the north, there are a variety of tours and safaris that will take you deep into the wilderness. Aurora Borealis Evening Viewing Tours, Nighttime Northern Lights Viewing, Rocky Mountains Helicopter Tour, and Kluane National Parks are some of the most popular activities.

The absolute top attractions and activities in Northwest Territories, as travelers vote, are Enjoying the simple life in a rural lodge, Falling in love under the midnight sun, Glittering waterfalls, Fishing, Cruising in the historic waterways, Meeting with caribous and Moses, visiting the Nahanni National Park Reserve, Shooting in the wild, Taking a dip in Canada’s watersports scene, Visiting the city of Yellowknife, Walking the Northwest’s hiking trails, Wondering at the Arctic coastline.

Whatever your interests may be, there is sure to be an outdoor activity or sight that will appeal to you in the Northwest Territories. So come and explore all that this amazing place has to offer!

Accommodation in the Northwest Territories

A wide range of accommodation options is available in the Northwest Territories, from hotels and B&Bs to self-contained rooms and apartments. There is something to suit all budgets and preferences, so you can be sure to find the perfect place to stay during your time in the territory. Whether you’re looking for a luxurious hotel or a cozy B&B, you’ll be able to find it in the Northwest Territories.

Reserve a room

Our tip for accommodation in the Northwest Territories would be to consider staying in a traditional Indigenous community or a wilderness lodge. The Northwest Territories is home to many Indigenous communities, and staying in one of these communities can provide a unique and authentic cultural experience. Many communities have guesthouses or bed and breakfasts that offer comfortable and affordable accommodation. Additionally, the Northwest Territories is known for its rugged wilderness, and staying in a wilderness lodge can provide an opportunity to experience the region’s natural beauty. Many lodges offer all-inclusive packages that include meals, activities, and transportation to and from the lodge.

Pictures

Useful information

Best time to visit: The Northwest Territories’ climate is cold but relatively dry, with temperate, sunny summers, in which temperatures rarely rise above 25°C / 77°F, and long, bitter winters, during which the thermometer can plunge to -40°C / -40°F, especially north of the Arctic Circle.

On the road: Northwest Territories has nine numbered highways. The Mackenzie Highway is the longest, stretching from Alberta Highway 35 to Wrigley in the north. Ice and winter roads also play a major part in life here, providing access to towns and mines during winter. Yellowknife Highway branches out from Mackenzie Highway and connects it to Yellowknife. The Dempster Highway starts just outside Dawson City, Yukon, and continues east for over 700 km (400 mi) to Inuvik. As of 2017, the all-season Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway connects Inuvik to communities along the Arctic Ocean as an extension of the Dempster Highway.

Yellowknife didn’t have all-season access to the rest of Canada’s highway system until the completion of the Deh Cho Bridge in 2012. Before this, traffic relied on a ferry service in summer and an ice road in winter. This became a problem during autumn when the ice wasn’t thick enough for cars, but the ferry couldn’t get through it, requiring everything from petrol to groceries to be airlifted for that transition period.

Air travel: To reach the more remote areas in our territory, we’ve found that an airplane is typically the best way to travel. Float planes are the most common plane used to reach the northern lakes. The three largest operators in the region are Air Canada, First Air, and Canadian North, which fly from Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa, respectively. Innumerable regional airlines offer scheduled and charter services to communities within the Northwest Territories.

The Yellowknife Airport is the largest regarding aircraft movements and passengers. It is the gateway to other locations in the Northwest Territories. As the airport of the territory’s capital, it’s a part of Canada’s National Airports System. It hosts multiple regional airlines, notably Buffalo Airways, Canadian North, and North-Wright Airways.

Cruises: Day cruises are offered on Great Slave Lake during the summertime. Longer canoe trips and river rafting trips on the Nahanni River or other more remote rivers are also offered.

Ferry operators: Ideally, tourists could travel on ferries crossing the Mackenzie River for free during summer. Unfortunately, these are unavailable during winter, so ice bridges are employed during these times instead. Spring and autumn are our least favorite seasons because attendees will have difficulty crossing the rivers without a ferry – though you can reach out to 1 800 661 0750 for more information about routes if need be.

Public transportation: Yellowknife Transit is the only public transit system in the Northwest Territories.

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