Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

is the least populous of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's three territories with 36,858 residents as of

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, but the

largest Large means of great size. Large may also refer to: Mathematics * Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics * Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers * Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms (or ...

territory in land area, at . Nunavut is also larger than any of Canada's ten provinces. Nunavut's 25

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

cover only of the territory's land mass, but are home to of its population. The remaining 99.8% of Nunavut's land mass comprises three small unincorporated settlements () and three vast unorganized areas (). The remaining of the population, 18 residents, live in the unincorporated area of Unorganized Baffin. Municipalities are created by the Government of Nunavut in accordance with the ''Cities, Towns and Villages Act'' (''CTVA'') and the ''Hamlets Act''. According to the ''CTVA'', a municipality is an "area within the boundaries of a municipal corporation, as described in the order establishing or continuing the municipal corporation" where a municipal corporation is either a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

. According to the ''Hamlets Act'', a municipality is similarly an "area within the boundaries of a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

, as described in the order establishing or continuing the hamlet". All of

's 25 municipalities are

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

except for the City of Iqaluit, which is the territory's

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

. The largest municipality by population in Nunavut is the capital city,

Iqaluit Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its t ...

, with 7,429 residents, home to of the territory's population. The smallest municipality by population is

Grise Fiord Grise Fiord (; iu, ᐊᐅᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ, translit=Aujuittuq, lit=place that never thaws, italics=no) is an Inuit hamlet on the southern tip of Ellesmere Island, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of three populated places on ...

with 144 residents. The largest municipality by land area is

Kugluktuk Kugluktuk (, ; Inuktitut syllabics: ; ), formerly known as Coppermine until 1 January 1996, is a hamlet located at the mouth of the Coppermine River in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada, on Coronation Gulf, southwest of Victoria Island. I ...

, which spans , while the smallest is

Kimmirut Kimmirut ( Syllabics: ᑭᒻᒥᕈᑦ ; known as Lake Harbour until 1 January 1996) is a community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located on the shore of Hudson Strait on Baffin Island's Meta Incognita Peninsula. Kimmirut means ...

at .

Cities

An application can be submitted to incorporate a community as a city under the ''CTVA'' at the request of a minimum 25 residents that are eligible electors, or at the initiative of the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. The proposed city must have a minimum assessed land value of $200 million or an exception made by the Minister. Iqaluit is the only city in Nunavut, with 7,429 residents and a land area of in 2021. It incorporated as a city on April 19, 2001.

Towns

Although Nunavut has no municipalities with town status, the ''CTVA '' provides opportunity to incorporate a town. A town can be incorporated at the request of a minimum 25 residents that are eligible electors, or at the initiative of the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. The proposed town must have a minimum assessed land value of $50 million or an exception made by the Minister. Iqaluit held town status between 1980 and 2001.

Villages

Nunavut has no villages, but like town status the ''CTVA'' provides opportunity to incorporate a village. A village can be incorporated at the request of a minimum 25 residents that are eligible electors, or at the initiative of the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. The proposed village must have a minimum assessed land value of $10 million or an exception made by the Minister. Iqaluit held village status between 1974 and 1980.

Hamlets

At the request of a minimum 25 residents that are eligible electors, or at the initiative of the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, an application can be submitted to incorporate a community as a hamlet under the ''Hamlets Act''. Unlike cities, towns and villages, the incorporation of hamlets is not conditioned by a prescribed minimum assessed land value. Nunavut has 24 hamlets. The largest hamlet by population is

Rankin Inlet Rankin Inlet ( iu, Kangiqliniq; Inuktitut syllabics: ᑲᖏᕿᓂᖅ or ''Kangirliniq'', ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᖅ, or ''Kangir&iniq'' meaning ''deep bay/inlet'') is an Inuit hamlet on Kudlulik Peninsula in Nunavut, Canada. It is the largest hamlet a ...

, with 2,975 residents, and the smallest is Grise Fiord, with 144 residents. The largest hamlet by land area is Kugluktuk, which spans , while the smallest is Kimmirut, at .

List of municipalities

Notes

References

External links

Government of Nunavut: Community and Government Services
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Municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...