Kugluktuk, Nunavut

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Inuit women preparing to make bannock at Kugluktuk
Inuit women preparing to make bannock at Kugluktuk
Kugluktuk and other communities of Western Nunavut.
Kugluktuk and other communities of Western Nunavut.

Kugluktuk (Inuinnaqtun: Qurluktuk, "the place of moving water"; Inuktitut: ᖁᕐᓗᖅᑐᖅ, formerly Coppermine until 1 January 1996) is a hamlet located in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada, on Coronation Gulf, southwest of Victoria Island. It is the westernmost community in Nunavut, almost on the border with the Northwest Territories. As of the 2006 census the population was 1,302 an increase of 7.4% from the 2001 census.[1]

The traditional language of the area was Inuinnaqtun and is written using the Latin alphabet rather than the syllabics of the Inuktitut writing system. Like Cambridge Bay, Bathurst Inlet and Umingmaktok syllabics are rarely seen and used mainly by the Government of Nunavut.

Kugluktuk is located on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. The surrounding landscape is dominated by the rocky and often barren Canadian Shield. The region has a semi-arid Arctic climate, with very cold winters, summers that are too cool to permit the growth of trees, and light snowfall.

The community has the usual services, a post office, Northern Store, co-op store, and Hunters & Trappers Association. The entire town is covered by wireless Internet service. There are two schools, the Kugluktuk High School and the Jimmy Hikok Ilihakvik.

In June 2004, a fuel line broke in the center of Kugluktuk, spilling 2000 litres of diesel fuel.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

  • Dredge, L. A. Where the river meets the sea geology and landforms of the lower Coppermine River Valley and Kugluktuk, Nunavut. [Ottawa]: Geological Survey of Canada, 2001. ISBN 0660185504
  • Pedersen, Lena, and Donna Stephania. Crime Prevention in Kugluktuk. Ottawa: Caledon Institute of Social Policy, 1999. ISBN 1894159616

Coordinates: 67°49′32″N, 115°05′42″W