Kugluktuk Explained

Official Name:Kugluktuk
Native Name:Qurluqtuq
ᖁᕐᓗᖅᑐᖅ
Settlement Type:Hamlet
Pushpin Map:Canada Nunavut#Canada
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Territory
Subdivision Name1:Nunavut
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Kitikmeot
Subdivision Type3:Electoral district
Subdivision Name3:Kugluktuk
Government Footnotes:[1] [2]
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Ryan Nivingalok
Leader Title1:MLA
Leader Name1:Bobby Anavilok
Area Footnotes: (2021)
Area Land Km2:538.99
Population As Of:2021
Population Total:1,382
Population Density Km2:2.6
Population Blank1:956
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset:−07:00
Timezone Dst:MDT
Utc Offset Dst:−06:00
Coordinates:67.8267°N -115.0933°W
Elevation Footnotes:[3]
Elevation M:23
Postal Code Type:Canadian Postal code
Postal Code:X0B 0E0
Area Code:867

Kugluktuk (Inuktitut: Qurluqtuq, ;[4] Inuktitut syllabics: Inuktitut: ᖁᕐᓗᖅᑐᖅ; in Inuktitut pronounced as /quʁluqtuq/), known as Coppermine until 1 January 1996, is a hamlet at the mouth of the Coppermine River in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada, on Coronation Gulf, southwest of Victoria Island. It is Nunavut's westernmost community, near the border with the Northwest Territories.

The area's traditional language is Inuinnaqtun, which is written in the Latin alphabet, rather than the syllabics of the Inuktitut writing system. Like Cambridge Bay, Bathurst Inlet, and Umingmaktok, syllabics are rarely seen and are used mainly by the Government of Nunavut.

History

Prior to European contact, Dene travelled to the area and interacted acrimoniously with nearby Thule and Inuit, sometimes ending in deadly raids against each other (see Bloody Falls massacre). Between 1913 and 1916, anthropologist Diamond Jenness studied and recorded the traditional lifestyle of Inuit around Kugluktuk. The Hudson Bay Company established a trading post at this community in 1927 while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCM)P built a police station in 1932. The former name of the community, Coppermine, was named after its namesake Coppermine River.

In 1982, a division plebiscite was held. About 80% of the population in what is now Nunavut voted in favour of division; Coppermine was one of only two communities to vote against it, Cambridge Bay was the other.[5]

In 1996, a healing ceremony between Dene and Inuit took place to reconcile for historical grievances. The community also changed its name from Coppermine to Kugluktuk. In June 2004, a fuel line broke in the centre of Kugluktuk, spilling of diesel fuel.

Demographics

As a census subdivision in the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Kugluktuk had a population of 1,382 living in 397 of its 438 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,491. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[6]

As a designated place in the 2021 census, Kugluktuk had a population of 956 living in 265 of its 296 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,057. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[7]

Infrastructure

The community has been served by the Qiniq network since 2005. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSi Canada. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.

Education

Kugluktuk's two schools are Kugluktuk High School and Jimmy Hikok Ilihakvik.

Geography

Kugluktuk is on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. The surrounding landscape is dominated by the rocky and often barren Canadian Shield. The region has a subarctic climate, but barely so, with July having an average of . It has cold, dry winters, and moderate snowfall that is relatively high for its latitude. Trees do exist in the region due to microclimate, but they are dwarfed and extremely sparse.

Flora

Plant growth in the region during the summer includes small shrubs, grass, moss, lichens, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, various flowers, and dwarf willow and birch trees.

Climate

Kugluktuk features a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfc); like most of mainland Nunavut; with wet summers and dry winters. It is in the transitional zone to a cold tundra climate (ET), but falls outside of it, since its warmest month of July surpasses the isotherm, averaging .

The highest temperature ever recorded in Kugluktuk was on 15 July 1989. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 2 February 1968.[8]

Notable people

See also

References

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hamlet of Kugluktuk. 31 December 2022.
  2. Web site: 2021 General Election. 26 December 2022. Elections Nunavut.
  3. Elevation at airport.
  4. Web site: History . 2024-05-14 . Hamlet of Kugluktuk . en.
  5. Web site: The 1982 Plebiscite on Division of the Northwest Territories: Regional Government and Federal Policy . 25 August 2010 . 10 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191210070714/https://economics.ca//cgi/jab?journal=cpp&view=v11n1%2FCPPv11n1p001.pdf . dead .
  6. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nunavut . . 9 February 2022 . 19 February 2022.
  7. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places . . 9 February 2022 . 8 May 2022.
  8. Web site: Environment and Climate Change Canada. February 1968. Climate ID: 2300900. Canadian Climate Data. 25 June 2016.