Pond Inlet

Pond Inlet
Mittimatalik
ᒥᑦᑎᒪᑕᓕᒃ
Pond Inlet in mid-June 2005 from Salmon Creek, 3.5 km (2.2 mi) west of the hamlet
Pond Inlet in mid-June 2005 from Salmon Creek, 3.5 km (2.2 mi) west of the hamlet
Pond Inlet is located in Nunavut
Pond Inlet
Pond Inlet
Pond Inlet is located in Canada
Pond Inlet
Pond Inlet
Coordinates: 72°42′00″N 077°57′40″W / 72.70000°N 77.96111°W / 72.70000; -77.96111[1]
CountryCanada
TerritoryNunavut
RegionQikiqtaaluk
Electoral districtTununiq
Government
[2][3]
 • TypeHamlet Council
 • MayorJoshua Arreak
 • MLAKaren Nutarak
Area
 (2021)[4]
 • Total170.83 km2 (65.96 sq mi)
Elevation
[5]
55 m (180 ft)
Population
 (2021)[4]
 • Total1,555
 • Density9.1/km2 (24/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Canadian Postal code
X0A 0S0
Area code867
Websitewww.pondinlet.ca

Pond Inlet (Inuktitut: Mittimatalik, lit. 'the place where Mittima is buried')[6] is a small, predominantly Inuit community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, located on northern Baffin Island. To the Inuit the name of the place "is and always has been Mittimatalik."[7] The Scottish explorer Sir John Ross had named an arm of the sea that separates Bylot Island from Baffin Island as Pond's Bay, and the hamlet now shares that name.[7] On 29 August 1921, the Hudson's Bay Company opened its trading post near the Inuit camp and named it Pond Inlet, marking the expansion of its trading empire into the High Arctic.[7]

At the 2021 Canadian census the population, which is predominantly Inuit, was 1,555, a decrease of 3.7% from the 2016 census.[4]

Pond Inlet, the largest community in northern Baffin Island—part of the Arctic Cordillera—with mountains visible from all sides, is called the "Jewel of the North".[8] At the ice flow edge there is an abundance of wildlife, including polar bears, caribou, wolves, Arctic foxes, ringed seal, and narwhals. It attracts hundreds of visitors each year, who travel by air or by cruise ship. The Nattinnak Visitors Centre on Tasiujaq (Eclipse Sound) which overlooks Bylot Island, showcases Pond Inlet artists. The Sirmilik National Park on Bylot Island, the Tamaarvik Territorial Park, and the Qilaukat Thule site are near the hamlet.[9]

  1. ^ "Pond Inlet". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. ^ "Municipal Election Results 2019-2020" (PDF). Elections Nunavut. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  3. ^ "2021 General Election" (PDF). Elections Nunavut. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference 2021census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Elevation at airport. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Taissumani, March 11". 8 March 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference nunatsiaq_Harper_20071109 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "5 Things To Do In Pond Inlet". Destination Nunavut. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nunatsiaq_George_19990702 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).