I.

Introduction

Northwest Territories, administrative region of Canada. The Northwest Territories is located in northwestern Canada and occupies nearly 13 percent of the country’s landmass. Two other northern territories, the Yukon Territory and the Territory of Nunavut, flank its western and eastern borders respectively. The Northwest Territories is bounded to the south by three provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. The territory extends from the 60th parallel to the North Pole and includes several large islands located in the Arctic Ocean. Banks and Prince Patrick islands are the largest islands entirely within the boundaries of the Northwest Territories. Melville Island and Victoria Island are divided between the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

On April 1, 1999, the Northwest Territories was split into a western part, still known as the Northwest Territories, and an eastern part, known as the Territory of Nunavut. A new name for the Northwest Territories has yet to be determined. To avoid confusion, many people now refer to the Northwest Territories as the “western” Northwest Territories. For the purpose of this article, the term Northwest Territories refers to the Northwest Territories after the 1999 split.

The Northwest Territories extends over a vast land area that consists of tundra, forest, and prairie. While large in geographic size, the territory is home to few people: In 2006 its population was 41,900. Its large geographic size and small population combine to make the territory one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world. A cold climate and permafrost (permanently frozen ground) prevent agricultural activities and make other economic activities very expensive.

The physical environment of the Northwest Territories also results in uneven population distribution, with most people living in a settlement, town, or city in the Mackenzie River valley or around Great Slave Lake. Yellowknife is the largest city and the capital of the territory. In 2001 Yellowknife had 16,541 residents, or nearly half of the population of the Northwest Territories.

The population is almost evenly split between nonindigenous Canadians and indigenous Canadians (Indian, Métis, and Inuit). Indians, also called the Dene, represent half a dozen tribes, each with a distinct language based on the Athapaskan root language. The Métis are a mixed-blood people who were originally offspring of unions between Indian women and French or British fur trappers. The Inuit are an indigenous people who inhabit the Arctic coastal regions.

The mainland of the Northwest Territories was part of British North America until 1870, when Canada obtained the Hudson’s Bay Company’s lands from the British government. In 1880 the British government transferred its claim to the islands in the Arctic Ocean (collectively known as the Arctic Archipelago) to Canada. Under Canadian jurisdiction these vast lands were named the Northwest Territories. Over time, the geographic size of the Northwest Territories diminished as some of its lands were transferred to five provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, and Saskatchewan. The most recent geographical adjustment occurred in 1999, when Nunavut was carved out of the eastern area of the Northwest Territories.

The fur-trading history of the Northwest Territories began in the late 18th century with the arrival of European fur traders. Within 50 years, the fur traders had established a network of trading posts. Until the 1950s indigenous peoples formed the vast majority of the population, supporting themselves by hunting and trapping. While Indian, Métis, and Inuit moved about in search of game and fur-bearing animals, fur traders, missionaries, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police lived in small settlements that were originally fur-trading posts.

In the 1950s resource development—particularly gold mining and oil production—signaled a new economic era. Infrastructure projects during World War II (1939-1945) improved the northern communications and transportation network, laying the groundwork for resource development. At the same time, the government encouraged Indians, Inuit, and Métis to move into settlements. Most chose to settle around fur-trading posts. With the vast majority of residents being indigenous, these places became known as native settlements. In the 1960s the role of the federal and territorial governments began to expand. The combination of these events resulted in three types of settlements: resource towns, native settlements, and administrative centers. Both resource companies and the government needed more skilled workers, so they encouraged southern Canadians to move to the north by creating high-paying jobs and offering extra benefits. Within two decades this northern migration created a large minority of nonindigenous Canadians in the Northwest Territories.