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42-596: Inuvik / ɪ ˈ n uː v ɪ k / ( place of man ) is the only town in the Inuvik Region , and the third largest community in Canada's Northwest Territories . Located in what is sometimes called the Beaufort Delta Region, it serves as its administrative and service centre and is home to federal, territorial, and Indigenous government offices, along with the regional hospital and airport. Inuvik

84-579: A Naval Radio Station, later a communications research/signals intercept facility) and by petrochemical companies exploring the Mackenzie Valley and the Beaufort Sea for petroleum. This all collapsed in 1990 for a variety of reasons, including disappearing government military subsidies, local resistance to petroleum exploration, and low international oil prices. Since then the economy has been based on some minor tourism and subsidy provided by

126-640: A full town in 1979 with an elected mayor and council. In 1979, with the completion of the Dempster Highway , Inuvik became connected to Canada's highway system , and simultaneously the most northerly town to which one could drive in Canada. While a winter only ice road through the Mackenzie River delta still connects Inuvik to Aklavik , southwest of Inuvik, the Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road , which ran northeast to Tuktoyaktuk ,

168-507: A halt in the winter when the Mackenzie River freezes. Inuvik has a subarctic climate ( Köppen Dfc ). Summers are typically wetter and cool, with temperatures varying wildly throughout the months due to its peculiar location near the cold Arctic Ocean . The average hottest month of the year, July, has a mean high of 19.5 °C (67.1 °F) and mean low of 8.6 °C (47.5 °F). Unlike many other North American continental climates, Inuvik warms up very quickly during May and June due to

210-468: A multi-use community hall with stage; on-site business centre/production office; full building wireless; video-conferencing facility; on-site catering/kitchen; and meeting rooms for groups of 5 to 500. At full-building use, the Complex can host conferences, conventions and trade shows with up to 1200 delegates/exhibitors. The community has a state-of-the-art school called East 3. The construction budget for

252-564: A number of smaller communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut . Air North connects to points in the Yukon and travels as far south as Vancouver . Aklak Air flies north to the small communities of Sachs Harbour , Paulatuk , and Ulukhaktok . Freight services, helicopters, and floatplane charters are also available from Inuvik. Floatplane service operates out of the nearby Inuvik/Shell Lake Water Aerodrome . When

294-407: A population density of 50.0/km in 2021. As of the 2021 Canadian census there were 1,990 people who identified as Indigenous . Of these 63.6 per cent were Inuvialuit ( Inuit , predominantly Uummarmiut ), 26.1 per cent First Nations , 5.8 per cent Métis and 4.8 per cent reported other Indigenous heritage. The non-Indigenous population of Inuvik was 36.6 per cent. Local Gwichʼin are enrolled in

336-591: A stage-built multi-use facility, was completed in 2006. Featuring the Roy 'Sugloo' Ipana Memorial Arena, with an NHL-sized ice surface; the Inuvik Curling Club with three sheets and a well-situated licensed lounge/viewing area; the Inuvik Pool, an award-winning Class B recreational pool with lane swimming, waterpark features including a two-story waterslide, hot tub, sauna and steam room; two squash courts;

378-659: Is also offered in Inuvik by New North Networks. Fibre optic communications were added in Inuvik in June 2017 with the completion of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link ; the $ 82 million 1,200 km (750 mi) line adds new capability to the town. However, the dependence on this single trunk line occasionally causes widespread Internet outages during Dempster or Alaska Highway maintenance or construction. A backup trunk line between Fort Simpson and Inuvik

420-550: Is currently under construction. In 1988, the International Astronomical Union 's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (IAU/WGPSN) officially adopted the name Inuvik for a crater on Mars , at 78.7° north latitude and 28.6° west longitude. The crater's diameter is 20.5 km (12.7 mi). Inuvik Region Formerly, there was also a Statistics Canada designated census division named Inuvik Region, Northwest Territories , which

462-574: Is known as Inuvialuktun and it is made up of three or four dialects. Uummarmiutun , spoken by the Uummarmiut of Aklavik and Inuvik , is an Inupiatun dialect but is usually associated with Inuvialuktun. Siglitun is spoken by the Siglit of Sachs Harbour , Paulatuk , Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik. Kangiryuarmiutun is used by the Kangiryuarmiut of Ulukhaktok. Kangiryuarmiutun is essentially

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504-667: Is located on the northern edge of the boreal forest , just before it begins to transition to tundra , and along the east side of the enormous Mackenzie River delta. The town lies within the Gwich'in Settlement Region and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region . Inuvik was conceived in 1953 as a replacement administrative centre for the hamlet of Aklavik on the west of the Mackenzie Delta , as

546-764: Is no longer being built due to the opening in November 2017, of the Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway (ITH), which is open all year round. The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, which connects to Canada's highway system at Inuvik via the Dempster Highway, is the first road in history to reach the Arctic Ocean in North America. Between 1971 and 1990, the town's economy was supported by the local Canadian Armed Forces Station, CFS Inuvik, (originally

588-590: The Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), Health Canada (for the regional hospital) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police . In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada , Inuvik had a population of 3,137 living in 1,223 of its 1,464 total private dwellings, a change of -3.3 per cent from its 2016 population of 3,243. With a land area of 62.68 km (24.20 sq mi), it had

630-482: The Inuvik Native Band . The main language spoken in Inuvik is English, though schools teach and a handful of local people still speak Inuinnaqtun ( Inuvialuktun ), and Gwichʼin . Local CBC Radio , CHAK (AM) , broadcasts an hour of programming a day in each of these languages. There are also about 100 Muslims, most of whom came there for economic opportunities. A small mosque (dubbed "Little mosque on

672-641: The Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway was extended north from Inuvik another 138 km (86 mi) to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic coast. Inuvik is also connected to Aklavik by an ice road across the Mackenzie Delta from late December until late April each year. The Dempster Highway relies on ferries to cross the Peel River near Fort McPherson and the Mackenzie River at Tsiigehtchic during

714-611: The permafrost underlying the town. The town is served by the Inuvik Drum , a community newspaper published weekly by Northern News Services . Inuvik was previously served by CHAK-TV , VHF channel 6, a CBC North television repeater of CFYK-DT ( Yellowknife ). That station closed on 31 July 2012 due to budget cuts affecting the CBC. Landline telephone service is provided by Northwestel , and cellular service by Ice Wireless and Arctic Digital ( Bell Mobility ). Cable television

756-467: The 1910s and 20s, enticed in part by renewed demand for furs from the Hudson's Bay Company and European markets. The Nunatamiut who settled in the Siglit area became known as Uummarmiut . Originally, there was an intense dislike between the Siglit and the Uummarmiut, but these differences faded over the years, and the two aboriginal peoples intermarried. With improved healthcare and Nunatamiut intermarriage,

798-631: The Beaufort Delta. Featuring on-site demonstrations, 50+ arts workshops, a 3,500-piece gallery, an outdoor carving village, an interactive artist studio zone, nightly cultural performances, northern film screenings, family activities and an Arctic fashion show, the Festival attracts visitors from around the world to travel the Dempster Highway to visit Inuvik and the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit Settlement Regions . The annual Sunrise Festival happens on

840-906: The Cape Bathurst and Bluenose herds, and have also shared the Porcupine herd with the Gwich’in . There has been some tension between the Inuvialuit and the Gwich’in over caribou hunting. Other activities are seasonal: Traditional games include: The area of the land covered by the Inuvialuit Settlement Region is 521,707.68 km (201,432.46 sq mi). Aklavik ( Aklavik Indian Band , Ehdiitat Gwich’in Council ) and Inuvik ( Nihtat Gwich’in Council ) are shared with

882-544: The Inuvialuit now number approximately 3,100. In the 1930s, the Inuvialuit were involved in a Canadian government scheme to introduce reindeer herding as the primary economic driver of the Western Arctic. At tremendous expense, thousands of domesticated animals were herded from Alaska to the new Mackenzie Delta community of Reindeer Station . Indigenous Sámi people were imported from Norway to teach Inuvialuit men how to care for their own individual herds. However,

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924-512: The Mackenzie River is ice-free, Marine Transportation Services provides a commercial barge service from Hay River , on Great Slave Lake to the regional terminal in Inuvik. The annual sealift moves supplies east into the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and west to Utqiagvik, Alaska . Many locals own small boats with outboard motors which are used to access family hunting and fishing camps or to visit Aklavik . Boat traffic comes to

966-623: The Muskrat Jamboree, the Town of Inuvik hosts the annual Muskrat Cup 3-on-3 Pond Hockey Tournament on the frozen Mackenzie River, the world's most northerly cash tournament. The weekend closest to the summer solstice (21 June) each year features the Midnight Sun Fun Run, a 5K, 10K and half marathon that starts at midnight under the 24-hours of sunlight experienced for over 50 days each summer in Inuvik. Runners from around

1008-553: The event brings together thousands of people to participate in traditional games, watch the dog sled and snowmobile races and dance (jig) the night away in town. Most events are held on the Mackenzie River where several community groups operate concessions in stove-heated traditional McPherson tents, preparing hot soup, bannock , baked goods, coffee, Labrador tea , hot chocolate and other traditional refreshments. Many participants and spectators wear traditional clothing and often local artisans will have something to sell. In conjunction with

1050-513: The latter was prone to flooding and had no room for expansion. Initially called "New Aklavik", it was renamed Inuvik in 1958. The school was built in 1959 and the hospital, government offices and staff residences in 1960, when people, including Inuvialuit , Gwichʼin ( Dene ) and Métis , began to live in the community. Naval Radio Station (NRS) Inuvik , later CFS Inuvik, callsign CFV, was commissioned on 10 September 1963 after operations had been successfully transferred from NRS Aklavik. Station CFV

1092-486: The mosque "the world's northernmost mosque", but in fact mosques in Norilsk, Russia , and Tromsø , Norway, are both slightly further north than Inuvik. The Great Northern Arts Festival has been held annually for 10 days in the middle of July since 1989. The Festival has hosted over 3,000 artists from across Canada's north, and from as far away as Japan and Australia over 31 years and is the largest annual tourism event in

1134-408: The people of the west. The Inuit of Ulukhaktok are neither Siglit nor Uummarmiut but are Copper Inuit and refer to themselves as Ulukhaktokmuit after Ulukhaktok , the native name for what used to be called Holman. The proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline would have passed through both Inuvialuit and Gwich'in territory before the abandonment of the project in 2017. The traditional language

1176-438: The program was relatively unsuccessful, as it required a lonely lifestyle and was less lucrative than traditional hunting and trapping . The Inuvialuit Settlement Region Traditional Knowledge Report of 2006 identified additional naming characteristics. Those Inuvialuit who live in the west are called Ualinirmiut ( Ualiniq ) by the people of the east. The Inuvialuit who occupy the east are known as Kivaninmiut ( Kivaliniq ) by

1218-464: The rapidly increasing day length, and that remaining snow cools down until May. June is a warmer month than August. Seasonal transitions are extremely short, with mean daily temperatures rising or falling as fast as 0.5 °C (0.90 °F) per day. Winters are long and cold; the coldest month of the year, January, having a mean high of −22.8 °C (−9.0 °F) and a mean low of −31.0 °C (−23.8 °F). Freezing temperatures can occur any month of

1260-579: The real people ) or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska . Their homeland – the Inuvialuit Settlement Region – covers the Arctic Ocean coastline area from the Alaskan border, east through the Beaufort Sea and beyond the Amundsen Gulf which includes some of

1302-671: The same as Inuinnaqtun which is also used in the Nunavut communities of Kugluktuk , Bathurst Inlet and Cambridge Bay . Natsilingmiutut used by the Netsilingmiut of Gjoa Haven , Taloyoak , Kugaaruk and Repulse Bay in Nunavut. Uummarmiutun, Siglitun and Inuinnaqtun (Kangiryuarmiutun) are all written using Latin script while Natsilingmiutut is written in Inuktitut syllabics . Year-round, Inuvialuit hunt caribou from

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1344-464: The school exceeded $ 110 million, and it features modern technologies such as 'smartboards' and videoconferencing facilities as well as a large gym. A distinct feature of Inuvik is the use of " utilidors " – above-ground utility conduits carrying water and sewage – which are covered by corrugated steel. They run throughout town connecting most buildings, and as a result there are many small bridges and underpasses. The utilidors are necessary because of

1386-457: The second weekend of the new year, when the sun finally breaks the horizon after about thirty days of polar night . The Festival is an all-day community event highlighted by dog sled races, a long-program fireworks show and community bonfire. This Festival was highlighted in the award-winning 2010 national Tropicana Orange Juice commercial Arctic Sun . Inuvik celebrates the Muskrat Jamboree each year in late March or early April. Started in 1957,

1428-636: The spring thaw in mid-May. By March, the median snow depth has reached its greatest, about 56.2 cm (22.1 in). Inuvik's Our Lady of Victory Church , often called Igloo Church , is a famous landmark in the region. It is the most-photographed building in the town . Inuvik has the Midnight Sun Mosque , North America's northernmost, which opened in November 2010 after being built in Winnipeg and moved 4,000 km (2,500 mi) by truck and barge. Some media reports have mistakenly called

1470-519: The summer. In winter, ice bridges are constructed to cross the rivers. During the spring the crossings close throughout May as the ice on the rivers breaks up. Similarly, they are impassible for most of November while the rivers freeze. During these times air travel is the only way for people and goods to reach Inuvik. The Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport is serviced by several regional carriers. Canadian North has regular direct flights to Yellowknife and Norman Wells . It further connects to Edmonton , and

1512-799: The tundra" in reference to the CBC show Little Mosque on the Prairie ) was established in 2010. Inuvik is located on the East Channel of the Mackenzie Delta, approximately 100 km (62 mi) from the Arctic Ocean and approximately 200 km (120 mi) north of the Arctic Circle . The tree line lies north of Inuvik, and the town is surrounded by boreal forest . Due to its northern location, Inuvik experiences an average of 56 days of midnight sun every summer and 30 days of polar night every winter. Until November 2017, Inuvik

1554-509: The western Canadian Arctic Islands , as well as the inland community of Aklavik and part of Yukon . The land was demarked in 1984 by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. The Inuvialuit Settlement Region was primarily inhabited by Siglit Inuit until their numbers were decimated by the introduction of new diseases in the second half of the 19th century. Nunatamiut , Alaskan Inuit, moved into traditional Siglit areas in

1596-464: The world make their way north to participate in this unique event under the midnight sun. A new hospital opened in early 2003, providing service to an area extending from Sachs Harbour on Banks Island , to Ulukhaktok on Victoria Island , and from Paulatuk into the Sahtu Region including Norman Wells , Tulita , Délı̨nę , Fort Good Hope , and Colville Lake . The Midnight Sun Complex,

1638-430: The year. Inuvik has a great variation of temperatures during the year, usually peaking below −40 °C (−40 °F) in the winter and above 30 °C (86 °F) in the summer. The highest temperature ever recorded in Inuvik was 34.8 °C (94.6 °F) on 7 August 2024. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −56.7 °C (−70.1 °F) on 4 February 1968. Snow that falls from October onward usually stays until

1680-491: Was abolished in the 2011 Canadian Census . The territorial extent of this census division was somewhat larger than the administrative region of the same name. The Inuvik Region administrative entity includes the following communities: Download coordinates as: 68°21′42″N 133°43′50″W  /  68.36167°N 133.73056°W  / 68.36167; -133.73056  ( Inuvik Region centred on Inuvik ) Inuvialuit The Inuvialuit (sing. Inuvialuk ;

1722-524: Was part of the SUPRAD (Supplementary Radio) network of intercept and direction finding stations. CFS Inuvik closed on 1 April 1986 and the site was transferred to the Department of Transport for use as a telecommunications station. Nothing remains of CFS Inuvik today. The Navy Operations base at the end of Navy Road was completely dismantled and removed. Inuvik achieved village status in 1967 and became

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1764-455: Was the most northern community in Canada to be accessible by road (now second to Tuktoyaktuk ). The 736 km (457 mi) Dempster Highway links Inuvik to the rest of Canada, providing relatively easy access to a wide variety of goods, and greatly reducing their cost. In contrast, many Arctic communities depend on cargo flights for regular goods and summer sealifts for larger freight, making goods expensive and often slow to arrive. In 2017,

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