Grise Fiord, Nunavut
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| Grise Fiord, Nunavut Aujuittuq |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Settled | 1953 |
| Highest elevation | 60 m (197 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 141 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Canadian Postal code | 0A 0J0 |
| Area code(s) | 867 |
| Telephone Exchange | 980 |
| GNBC Code | OAGQA |
| NTS Map | 011D12 |
| Website: http://www.grisefiord.ca | |
Grise Fiord, (Inuktitut: Aujuittuq, Inuktitut syllabics: ᐊᐅᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ) (2006 population 141 [1]) is a small Inuit hamlet, Qikiqtaaluk Region in the territory of Nunavut.
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[edit] Geography
Grise Fiord is the northernmost civilian settlement in North America, but was eclipsed by Alert as the North America's northernmost community when Environment Canada and the Canadian Forces began to station permanent personnel there.
Located at the southern tip of Ellesmere Island, Grise Fiord is one of three permanent settlements on the island. Grise Fiord lies 1160 km (720 miles) north of the Arctic Circle.
Grise Fiord lies in the Arctic Cordillera mountain range which is the only major mountain system east of the Canadian Rockies.
[edit] Transportation
Grise Fiord is connected to the rest of the world by Grise Fiord Airport.
[edit] Climate
The climate in Grise Fiord is severely cold. Grise Fiord has an arctic climate, which means that there are less than 250 mm precipitation, and temperature stays well below zero Celsius for more than eight months of the year.
The lowest recorded temperature in Grise Fiord was -62.2 °C (-79.6 oF). The highest was 22.3 °C (72.1 oF).[citation needed]
[edit] History
[edit] Settlement
The settlement was created by the Canadian government in 1953 to assert sovereignty in the High Arctic during the Cold War. Eight Inuit families from Inukjuak, Quebec (on the Ungava Peninsula) were relocated after being promised homes and game to hunt, but the relocated people discovered no buildings and very little familiar wildlife.[2] They also had to endure weeks of 24 hour darkness during the winter, and 24 hour sunlight during the summer, something they did not experience in northern Quebec. They were told that they would be returned home after a year if they wished, but this offer was later withdrawn as it would damage Canada's claims to sovereignty in the area and the Inuit were forced to stay. Eventually, the Inuit learned the local beluga whale migration routes and were able to survive in the area, hunting over a range of 18,000 km² (11,184 mi²) each year.
In 1993, the Canadian government held hearings to investigate the relocation program. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples called the relocation "one of the worst human rights violations in the history of Canada". The government paid $10 million CAD to the survivors and their families, but as of 2007 has yet to apologize.[3]
[edit] Telephone Network
In 1970, Bell Canada established what was then the world's most northerly telephone exchange (operated since 1992 by Northwestel).
[edit] Naming
Grise Fiord was named by Otto Sverdrup from Norway. The name means "pig inlet" in Norwegian. Grise Fiord's Inuit name is "Aujuittuq" which means "place that never thaws."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 2006 census
- ^ Grise Fiord: History
- ^ Royte, Elizabeth. "Trail of Tears", The New York Times, 2007-04-08.
- The High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953-55 Relocation by René Dussault and George Erasmus, produced by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, published by Canadian Government Publishing, 1994 (190 pages)[1]
- The Long Exile: A Tale of Inuit Betrayal and Survival in the High Arctic by Melanie McGrath, published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2006 (268 pages) Hardcover: ISBN 0007157967 Paperback: ISBN 0007157975
[edit] Other settlements on Ellesmere Island
[edit] External links
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