Repulse Bay, Nunavut
| Repulse Bay Naujaat ᓇᐅᔮᑦ | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Repulse Bay | |
| Coordinates: 66°31′19″N 086°14′06″W / 66.52194°N 86.23500°WCoordinates: 66°31′19″N 086°14′06″W / 66.52194°N 86.23500°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Region | Kivalliq Region |
| Electoral district | Aivilik |
| Government[1][2] | |
| • Type | Hamlet Council |
| • Mayor | Hugh Haqpi |
| • MLA | Steve Mapsalak |
| Area[3] | |
| • Total | 423.74 km2 (163.61 sq mi) |
| Elevation[4] | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Population (2006)[3] | |
| • Total | 748 |
| • Density | 1.8/km2 (4.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Canadian Postal code | X0C 0H0 |
| Area code(s) | 867 |
Repulse Bay (Inuktitut: Naujaat ᓇᐅᔮᑦ literally “seagulls’ nesting place”) is a bay and Inuit hamlet located on the shore of Hudson Bay, Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut, Canada.
The Bay
Repulse Bay is at the north end of Roes Welcome Sound which separates Southampton Island from the mainland. On the east side of Repulse Bay Frozen Strait leads east to Foxe Channel.
Location and wildlife
The hamlet is located exactly on the Arctic Circle, on the north shore of Repulse Bay and on the south shore of the Rae Isthmus. Transport to the community is provided primarily by air and by an annual sealift. Naujaat is home to a wide variety of animals including polar bears, caribou, seals, whales, and walrus. There are also approximately one hundred species of birds in the area, including gyrfalcons and peregrine falcons.
History
Naujaat is translated into English variously as "seagull fledgling," "seagull resting place" or "seagulls' nesting place," named after a cliff five kilometres to the north, where seagulls, migrating from the south each June, make their nests. Naujaat was first visited by Europeans in the 1740s, and by the late 1800s it became a popular whaling ground for American and Scottish whalers. Many Naujaat Inuit residents worked on board these whaling vessels from the south. Although there are various theories as to the origin of the English name "Repulse Bay," many attribute the name to Christopher Middleton, who when searching for the Northwest Passage in 1742 discovered that the bay was not a route out of Hudson Bay, but rather a cul-de-sac. He is claimed to have called it the “Bay of Repulse, the bay where I was pushed away”. Others believe that the name comes from an eighteenth-century English vessel named "Repulse" which visited the area. The Hudson's Bay Company opened a post in Repulse Bay about 1916 and in 1923 a rival fur trading company, Revillon Freres, opened a post. A Roman Catholic Mission was built in 1932. Naujaat was formerly part of the District of Keewatin and the Keewatin Region; in 1999 the area became part of the Kivalliq Region.
Naujaat (Repulse Bay) today
As of the 2006 census, the population was 748, an increase of 22.2% from the 2001 census.[3] The Naujaat community continues to rely on traditional sealing, fishing, hunting, trapping, and carving for their livelihood, together with tourism. Naujaat is known for its Inuit artists, especially carvers (typically creating small realist animal sculptures of ivory, soapstone, marble and antler), as well as jewellery and crafts. Its people are the 'Aivilingmiut'.
Climate
| Climate data for Repulse Bay Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high Humidex | −4.6 | −11.6 | −2.1 | 2.4 | 7.9 | 21.1 | 29.3 | 21.9 | 15.4 | 4.2 | 0.4 | −1.0 | 29.3 |
| Record high °C (°F) | −1.7 (28.9) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
3.5 (38.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
22.5 (72.5) |
28.0 (82.4) |
22.0 (71.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.0 (32) |
1.1 (34) |
28.0 (82.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −28.2 (−18.8) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
−22.4 (−8.3) |
−12.8 (9) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
13.1 (55.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−15.2 (4.6) |
−22.3 (−8.1) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −31.3 (−24.3) |
−31.4 (−24.5) |
−26.4 (−15.5) |
−17.1 (1.2) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
3.0 (37.4) |
8.8 (47.8) |
6.8 (44.2) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−18.8 (−1.8) |
−25.8 (−14.4) |
−12.1 (10.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −34.1 (−29.4) |
−34.6 (−30.3) |
−30.4 (−22.7) |
−21.4 (−6.5) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
4.4 (39.9) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−22.2 (−8) |
−29.3 (−20.7) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −47.8 (−54) |
−50.0 (−58) |
−45.0 (−49) |
−40.0 (−40) |
−27.0 (−16.6) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−31.0 (−23.8) |
−42.0 (−43.6) |
−46.0 (−50.8) |
−50.0 (−58) |
| Wind chill | −66.3 | −63.7 | −59.5 | −49.7 | −30.2 | −18.7 | 0.0 | −8.3 | −18.1 | −41.1 | −50.1 | −59.2 | −66.3 |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 18.4 (0.724) |
14.8 (0.583) |
18.6 (0.732) |
24.3 (0.957) |
18.5 (0.728) |
28.9 (1.138) |
29.0 (1.142) |
46.4 (1.827) |
33.6 (1.323) |
28.2 (1.11) |
29.2 (1.15) |
21.4 (0.843) |
311.3 (12.256) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.4 (0.016) |
1.9 (0.075) |
23.3 (0.917) |
29.0 (1.142) |
46.1 (1.815) |
22.3 (0.878) |
0.8 (0.031) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
123.8 (4.874) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 18.8 (7.4) |
19.1 (7.52) |
21.7 (8.54) |
27.7 (10.91) |
19.7 (7.76) |
5.5 (2.17) |
0.0 (0) |
0.3 (0.12) |
12.6 (4.96) |
32.6 (12.83) |
32.9 (12.95) |
24.6 (9.69) |
215.4 (84.8) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 10.3 | 6.7 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 11.1 | 13.7 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 123.4 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 6.5 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 7.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 36.5 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 10.2 | 7.3 | 11.6 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 4.8 | 13.1 | 11.8 | 10.5 | 91.6 |
| % humidity | 74.2 | 71.9 | 73.5 | 80.9 | 82.7 | 78.1 | 65.3 | 71.1 | 81.1 | 85.9 | 79.1 | 76.0 | 76.7 |
| Source: Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010[5] | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- ↑ Nunavummiut vie for council positions in upcoming hamlet elections
- ↑ Results for the constituency of Aivilik at Elections Nunavut
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 2006 census
- ↑ Elevation at airport. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 12 December 2013 to 0901Z 6 February 2014
- ↑ "Repulse Bay A" (CSV (4222 KB)). Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2403490. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
- inuitarteskimoart.com
- thecanadianencyclopedia.com
- planetware.com
- atlas.nrcan.gc.ca
- arcticco-op.com
- repulsebayhotel.com
- gov.nu.ca/Nunavut
- arcticomi.ca
- bbs.keyhole.com
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Repulse Bay, Nunavut. |
- http://www.repulsebay.ca/ - Repulse Bay, Official Website.
- "CONDUCTING A TRADING POST FARTHEST NORTH - A LIFE THAT GETS INTO THE BLOOD OF A MAN" - May 18, 1924 New Bedford Sunday Standard article on the Repulse Bay HBC post in the early 1920s.
