Nunavut is the newest of the territories of Canada; it was separated officially from the vast Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999 via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's map since the incorporation of the new province of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949.
The territory covers about 1.9 million square kilometres of land and water in Northern Canada including part of the mainland, most of the Arctic Archipelago, and all of the islands in Hudson Bay, James Bay, and Ungava Bay which belonged to the Northwest Territories. If Nunavut were a country, it would rank 13th in area. Nunavut has land borders with the Northwest Territories on several islands as well as the mainland, a border with Manitoba to the south of the Nunavut mainland, and a tiny land border with Newfoundland and Labrador on Killiniq Island. It also shares an aquatic border with the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba.
The population of Nunavut, as of 2006, is 30,782, making it the smallest provincial/territorial jurisdiction in Canada.
The capital, Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay) on Baffin Island was chosen by the 1995 Nunavut Capital Plebiscite. Other major communities include Rankin Inlet, Arviat, Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Igloolik, and Pangnirtung.
Nunavut's head of state is a Commissioner appointed by the federal Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The commissioner's role is symbolic and is analogous to that of a provincial lieutenant governor, although the commissioner is not a representative of the Queen. The current Commissioner of Nunavut is Ann Meekitjuk Hanson.
The members of the unicameral legislative assembly are elected individually; there are no parties. The head of government, the premier of Nunavut, is elected by, and from the members of the legislative assembly. The current Premier of Nunavut is Hon. Eva Aariak.
Nunavut means 'our land' in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. Its inhabitants are called Nunavummiut, singular Nunavummiuq. Along with Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, English, and French are also official languages.
