Northwest Territories
| |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 67°N 121°W / 67°N 121°W[2] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Before confederation | British Arctic Territories, North-Western Territory, Rupert's Land |
| Confederation | July 15, 1870[note 1] (5th, with Manitoba) |
| Capital (and largest city) | Yellowknife |
| Largest metro | Yellowknife |
| Government | |
| • Type | Parliamentary system, with consensus government |
| • Commissioner | Gerald Kisoun |
| • Premier | R. J. Simpson |
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories |
| Federal representation | Parliament of Canada |
| House seats | 1 of 338 (0.3%) |
| Senate seats | 1 of 105 (1%) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,346,106 km2 (519,734 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,183,085 km2 (456,792 sq mi) |
| • Water | 163,021 km2 (62,943 sq mi) 12.1% |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| 13.5% of Canada | |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 41,070[3] |
• Estimate (Q3 2024) | 44,731[5] |
| • Rank | 11th |
| • Density | 0.03/km2 (0.08/sq mi) |
| Demonyms | Northwest Territorian[6] FR: Franco-Ténois(e) |
| Official languages |
|
| GDP | |
| • Rank | 11th |
| • Total (2017) | C$4.856 billion[9] |
| • Per capita | C$108,065 (1st) |
| HDI | |
| • HDI (2021) | 0.930[10]—Very high (4th) |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 |
| Canadian postal abbr. | NT |
| Postal code prefix | |
| ISO 3166 code | CA-NT |
| Flower | Mountain avens |
| Tree | Tamarack larch |
| Bird | Gyrfalcon |
| Rankings include all provinces and territories | |
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated NT or NWT; French: Territoires du Nord-Ouest; formerly North-West Territories) is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,127,711.92 km2 (435,412.01 sq mi) and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada.[3] Its estimated population as of the second quarter of 2024 is 44,920.[5] Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and the only city in the territory; its population was 20,340 as of the 2021 census. It became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.
The Northwest Territories, a portion of the old North-Western Territory, entered the Canadian Confederation on July 15, 1870. At first, it was named the North-West Territories. The name was changed to the present Northwest Territories in 1906.[11] Since 1870, the territory has been divided four times to create new provinces and territories or enlarge existing ones. Its current borders date from April 1, 1999, when the territory's size was decreased again by the creation of a new territory of Nunavut to the east, through the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.[12][13] While Nunavut is mostly Arctic tundra, the Northwest Territories has a slightly warmer climate and is both boreal forest (taiga) and tundra, and its most northern regions form part of the Arctic Archipelago.
The Northwest Territories has the most interprovincial and inter-territorial land borders among all provinces and territories of Canada. It is bordered by the territories of Nunavut to the east and Yukon to the west, and by the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the south; it also touches Manitoba to the southeast at a quadripoint that includes Nunavut and Saskatchewan. The land area of the Northwest Territories is roughly equal to that of France, Portugal and Spain combined, although its overall area is even larger because of its vast lakes.
- ^ Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. "Place names - Territoires du Nord-Ouest". www4.rncan.gc.ca. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ "Northwest Territories". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ a b "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ "Land and freshwater area, by province and territory". February 1, 2005. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ^ a b "Population estimates, quarterly". Statistics Canada. September 27, 2023. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ The terms Northwest Territorian(s) Hansard, Thursday, March 25, 2004 Archived March 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, and (informally) NWTer(s) Hansard, Monday, October 23, 2006 Archived March 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, occur in the official record of the territorial legislature Archived June 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. According to the Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage (ISBN 978-0-19-541619-0; p. 335), there is no common term for a resident of Northwest Territories.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
lang1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
lang2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, by province and territory (2017)". Statistics Canada. September 17, 2019. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI - Global Data Lab". globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "History of the Name of the Northwest Territories". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
- ^ Justice Canada (1993). "Nunavut Act". Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
- ^ Justice Canada (1993). "Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act". Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
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