Northwest Arctic Borough is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,793, up from 7,523 in 2010. The

borough seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Kotzebue Kotzebue ( ) or Qikiqtaġruk ( , ) is a city in the Northwest Arctic Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the borough's seat, by far its largest community and the economic and transportation hub of the subregion of Alaska encompassing t ...

. The borough was formed on June 2, 1986.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and (12.7%) is water. By land area, it is slightly larger in total area than the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Its coastline is limited by the

Chukchi Sea Chukchi Sea ( rus, Чуко́тское мо́ре, r=Chukotskoye more, p=tɕʊˈkotskəjə ˈmorʲɪ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west b ...

. The

Kotzebue Sound Kotzebue Sound (russian: Залив Коцебу) is an arm of the Chukchi Sea in the western region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is on the north side of the Seward Peninsula and bounded on the east by the Baldwin Peninsula. It is long and w ...

, a significant wildlife area, is a prominent water body within the Northwest Arctic Borough. The largest

polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...

sighted in history, a male weighing , was sighted at Kotzebue Sound.C. Michael Hogan (2008
''Polar Bear: Ursus maritimus'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

North Slope Borough, Alaska The North Slope Borough is the northernmost borough in the US state of Alaska and thus, the northernmost county or equivalent of the United States as a whole. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,031. The borough seat and largest city i ...

- north * Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska - east *

Nome Census Area, Alaska Nome Census Area is a census area located in the U.S. state of Alaska, mostly overlapping with the Seward Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,046, up from 9,492 in 2010. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore ...

- south

National protected areas

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (often shortened to Alaska Maritime or AMNWR) is a United States National Wildlife Refuge comprising 2,400 islands, headlands, rocks, islets, spires and reefs in Alaska, with a total area of , of whic ...

(part of the Chukchi Sea unit) **

Chamisso Wilderness Chamisso Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was designated by the United States Congress in 1975. A small subunit of the Chukchi Sea Unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Chamisso Island and nearby ...

* Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (part) *

Cape Krusenstern National Monument Cape Krusenstern National Monument and the colocated Cape Krusenstern Archeological District is a U.S. National Monument and a National Historic Landmark centered on Cape Krusenstern in northwestern Alaska. The national monument was one of fifte ...

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is an American national park that protects portions of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The park is the northernmost national park in the United States, situated entirely north of the Arctic Circ ...

(part) **

Gates of the Arctic Wilderness Gates of the Arctic Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, it is in area, the third-largest designated wilderness area in the United States (after the Wrang ...

(part) *

Kobuk Valley National Park Kobuk Valley National Park is an American national park in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The park was designated in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to preserve the ...

Kobuk Valley Wilderness Kobuk may refer to: * Kobuk, Alaska * Kobuk River, in Alaska * Kobuk Valley National Park Kobuk Valley National Park is an American national park in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The park wa ...

Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge The Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge is a conservation area in Alaska. It lies within the floodplain of the Koyukuk River, in a basin that extends from the Yukon River to the Purcell Mountains and the foothills of the Brooks Range. This region of ...

(part) *

Noatak National Preserve Noatak National Preserve is a United States National Preserve in northwestern Alaska that was established to protect the Noatak River Basin. The Noatak River system, located just north of the Arctic Circle, is thought to be the last remaining c ...

(part) **

Noatak Wilderness Noatak may refer to one of the following: * Noatak, Alaska * Noatak River * Noatak National Preserve Noatak National Preserve is a United States National Preserve in northwestern Alaska that was established to protect the Noatak River Basin. Th ...

(part) *

Selawik National Wildlife Refuge Selawik National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Alaska in the Waring Mountains was officially established in 1980 with the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). This national wildlife refuge is home to mammalian a ...

(part) **

Selawik Wilderness Selawik may refer to: * Selawik, Alaska * Selawik Lake * Selawik River The Selawik River is a stream, long, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alaska. Originating in the Purcell Mountains near the Zane Hills, it flows generally west t ...

Demographics

At the 2000

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, there were 7,208 people, 1,780 households and 1,404 families residing in the borough. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 0.18 per square mile (0.47/km²). There were 2,540 housing units at an average density of 0 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 12.32%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.21%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 82.46% Native American, 0.89%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.36% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.70% from two or more races. 0.79% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 40.00% reported speaking Inupiat or "Eskimo" at hom

There were 1,780 households, of which 55.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.90% were Marriage, married couples living together, 19.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.10% were non-families. 16.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.87 and the average family size was 4.36. Age distribution was 41.50% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 15.50% from 45 to 64, and 5.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.70 males.

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

* Ambler * Buckland * Deering * Kiana *

Kivalina Kivalina ( ik, Kivalliñiq) is a city and village in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 377 at the 2000 census and 374 as of the 2010 census. The island on which the village lies is threatened by rising sea ...

* Kobuk *

* Noorvik * Selawik * Shungnak

Census-designated places

* Noatak *

Red Dog Mine The Red Dog mine is a large zinc and lead mine in a remote region of Alaska, about north of Kotzebue, which is owned and operated by the Canadian mining company Teck Resources. It is located within the boundaries of the Red Dog Mine census-des ...

References

External links

Official websiteBorough map: Alaska Department of LaborSummaries of Division of Subsistence research projects in northwest Alaska
/ Division of Subsistence, Alaska Department of Fish and Game. hosted by th
Alaska State Publications Program

Subsistence_wildlife_harvests_in_five_northwest_Alaska_communities,_2001-2003_:_results_of_a_household_survey_/_by_Kawerak,_Inc.,_Maniilaq_Association,_and_the_Alaska_Department_of_Fish_and_Game;_by_Susan_Georgette_..._[et_al.].
Hosted_b
Alaska_State_Publications_Program
{{Coord.html" ;"title="t al.].">Subsistence wildlife harvests in five northwest Alaska communities, 2001-2003 : results of a household survey / by Kawerak, Inc., Maniilaq Association, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game; by Susan Georgette ... Alaska_State_Publications_Program
{{Coord">67.00.html" ;"title="t al.].
Hosted b
Alaska State Publications Program
{{Coord">67.00">-160.00, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-AK_source:UScensus1990_scale:4000000 Chukchi Sea 1986 establishments in Alaska Populated places established in 1986

Geography

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

National protected areas

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

See also

References

External links