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Home to only around 26,500 people, the new Nunavut territory covers a fifth of Canada's land surface, or 2.1 million square kilometres, an area five times the size of California, stretching west from Hudson Bay then north through the great "Barrenlands" of the interior to the Arctic islands in the north. This is the land of vast caribou migrations, musk oxen, polar bears and endless empty kilometres of fish-filled lakes and rivers. Most of the region's communities are formed of indigenous Inuit people and lie on the arc of Hudson Bay's western coast, from Arviat in the south through Whale Cove (Tikirarjuaq - "long point"), Rankin Inlet (Kangiqtinq - "deep bay") - the area's main transport and administrative centre - to Chesterfield Inlet (Igluligaarjuk - "place with a few igloos") and Coral Harbour (Salliq - "large flat island") in the north. In all of these you will find an almost unchanged way of life - the local arts and handicrafts are outstanding, and in places you can hear the old drummers and "throat singers" traditionally responsible for handing down the stories and myths of the Inuit. The entire region has just 21km of highway, with the capital at Iqaluit on Baffin Island serving as home to nearly one-fifth of the province's population. Long an amorphous political entity administered not as a semi-autonomous province but by the federal government, the Northwest Territories was formally superseded on April 1, 1999 by a land treaty which divided the old territories in two and created a new central and eastern Arctic territory called Nunavut (meaning "Our Land" in the Inuit language). A preliminary division took place as far back as January 1, 1996, and Nunavut is now firmly established as a political and physical entity, with the new region putting out its own heavyweight brochure, the Arctic Traveller Nunavut Vacation Planner , full of all the information you are likely to need for casual visits or fully fledged expeditions with tour operators and outfitters (all of whom are listed). The new land deal - the largest in Canadian history - gave their homeland (valued at $1.15-billion) back to the Inuit, who in return renounced their claim to the remainder of the NWT. The deal followed fifteen years of low-profile but effective negotiating and campaigning. Exploring this region is hugely rewarding - but far from easy. The landscapes are sublime - huge expanses of flower-filled tundra, ice fields, open sea, frozen sea, deep valleys and beautiful vast horizons - but often inhospitable. Access is invariably by plane and therefore expensive, and often the best way to see the region - whatever your chosen interest or activity - is with a tour company, of which there are many. Besides breathtaking landscapes, there's also wildlife, fishing, whale-watching and a plethora of often exotic or high-adventure outdoor activities, not to mention a wide spectrum of cultural interests - anything from Inuit printmakers and carvers to traditional drummers and "throat" singers. The region's two major centres are covered in this section, but it's as well to know rough flight details and where accommodation is available in the smaller communities. Note that hotel prices in the north are invariably per person, not per room, so double all rates if you are two people sharing a double room. Rates sometimes include meals, so are not as steep as they first appear. CORAL HARBOUR (pop. 759), the only settlement on Southampton Island is one of the best places to see walrus (on nearby Goats Island), as well as the beautiful Kirchoffer Falls and Thule archeological sites at "Native Point". To stay, it has the small Leonie's Place (tel 867/925-9751 or 925-8810, fax 925-8606; $175-240 with all meals per person) or the Esungark Hotel at the Katudgevik Co-op (tel 867/925-9926 or 925-9969, fax 925-8308; $175-240). There are Calm Air (tel 1-800/839-2256, www.calmair.com ) flights here three times weekly and one First Air (tel 1-800/267-1247, www.firstair.com ) flight weekly from Iqualut via Rankin Inlet. ARVIAT (pop. 1676), 240km southwest of Rankin Inlet (connected by daily Calm Air flights from Rankin Inlet) means the "place of the bowhead whale" and is particularly known for its crafts and the McConnell River Migratory Bird Sanctuary, home to thousands of nesting waterfowl. For more information on the community call 867/857-2841. It offers Padlei Inns North (tel 867/857-2919, fax 857-2762; $125-175 per person) and Ralph's B&B (tel 857-2653, 857-2623; $125-175): rates at the latter include three meals a day. At WHALE COVE (pop. 331), a traditional hunting, crafts and fishing community 80km south of Rankin Inlet, there's Tavani Inns North (tel 867/896-9252, fax 896-9087; $175-240 per person with all meals). The similar CHESTERFIELD INLET (pop. 364) has daily flights from Rankin Inlet to the south, and one hotel, the Tangmavik (tel 867/898-9975 or 898-9190, fax 898-9056; $175-240 per person with all meals).
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