The North

To the north, Canada extends up into the Arctic Circle to the North Pole. The north is a scarcely populated area of ice and oceans which is sometimes called "the Land of the Midnight Sun" because during the height of summer the sun does not set. Most of the inhabitants are Aboriginal peoples and indeed, several Aboriginal languages have been granted the same official status as French and English.

People Living in a High Arctic Village

The region is currently divided into two huge administrative territories—the Yukon and the Northwest Territories—administered mainly by the federal government. (In 1999, a third territory called Nunavat will be carved from the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.) The coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was in the Yukon, where the mercury hit-63 degrees Celisus.
Here, how far the Canada landmass extends is technically under dispute, owing to international controversies over maritime limits, that is, how far a nation's sovereignty extends over its oceans. Along the northern border, the coastlines are literally forming, melting and breaking away and floating off in the form of ice floes. It is difficult to say exactly where Canada begins and ends. But in this harsh, inhospitable region, it does not matter very much as no one is actually counter-claiming what Canada considers its territory—although during the Cold War, Canada occasionally protested about American nuclear submarines patrolling the northernmost ocean regions.

Polar Bear

The traditional northern economy was based on hunting and trapping animals for food and pelts, activities which are still carried out by some of native inhabitants. In the late 1800s, thousands of miners poured into the Yukon during the Gold Rush, hoping to make their fortunes. Nowadays, the northern economy is developing its oil and gas deposits, and the Inuit peoples depend on arts and crafts, as well as hunting, for their livelihood.

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