List of regions of the Northwest Territories

For historic subdivisions of the Northwest Territories before 1999, see districts of the Northwest Territories.

The Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories is subdivided into administrative regions in different ways for various purposes.

Regions of the Northwest Territories
Inuvik, Inuvik Norman Wells, Sahtu Fort Simpson, Dehcho Yellowknife, North Slave Fort Smith South Slave Administrative regions of the Northwest Territories with regional offices
Category	Territory
Location	Northwest Territories
Number	5
Populations	(2021) 1,926 (Dehcho Region) — 23,515 (North Slave Region)[1]
Government	Administrative region
Subdivisions	Municipalities

Administrative regions

The Government of the Northwest Territory's Department of Municipal and Community Affairs divides the territory into five regions. Other services have adopted similar divisions for administrative purposes, making these the de facto regions of the territory. These divisions have no government of their own, but the Northwest Territories' government services are decentralized on a regional basis.

Some government departments make slight changes to this arrangement. For example, the Health and Social Services Authority groups Fort Resolution with the North Slave Region, and divides South Slave Region into two regions: Hay River and Fort Smith. The Department of Natural Resources uses the same borders, but calls the Inuvik Region "Beaufort Delta".

Map	Region		Demographics (2021)
			Census[1]		Indigenous population profile[2]
	Name	Regional offices(s)[3]	Total	Change (from 2016)	First Nations	Métis	Inuit	Other
	Dehcho Region	Fort Simpson	1,926	-7.6%	1,375	95	40	510
	Inuvik Region	Inuvik	6,205	-1.9%	1,800	185	3,470	2,065
	North Slave Region	Yellowknife Behchokǫ̀ (sub-office)	23,515	2.86%	6,125	1,050	785	17,455
	Sahtu Region	Norman Wells	2,259	-7.7%	1,530	145	50	490
	South Slave Region	Fort Smith Hay River (sub-office)	6,820	-12.7%	3,000	1,045	300	3,820

Indigenous governance regions

Land and self-government treaties with First Nations, Inuvialuit (Inuit), and Métis groups recognise a significant amount of authority for their governments to manage land use within agreed-upon areas. These areas are each much larger than the area fully owned by the indigenous government. Within each of these areas, the indigenous nation has jurisdiction over several areas of law, and land use is effectively co-governed by the territorial government and indigenous government.

A treaty also exists with the Salt River First Nation, but it establishes reserves rather than a joint land use area.

Jurisdictional area	Region(s)	Indigenous government	Land claims	Self-government	Notes	Map
Acho Dene Koe Territory	Dehcho Region	Acho Dene Koe First Nation	An agreement-in-principle was signed 5 February 2014.	Self-government discussions are in early stages.	Land claimed includes land in the NWT, Yukon, and British Columbia. The NWT portion is in the southwest of the province, surrounding the hamlet of Fort Liard.
Akaitcho Territory	North Slave and South Slave Regions	Akaitcho Territory Government	A comprehensive agreement is in discussion as of 2021[update]		North Slave Region east of Wekʼèezhìı and the eastern half of South Slave Region. The southern part of the region is in Treaty 8 territory, and the northern part is known as Chief Drygeese Territory. North Slave Métis Alliance also has claim to the area. The eastern portion of the land overlaps with claims by the Ghotelnene K’odtineh Dene.
Colville Lake District	Sahtu Region	Behdzi Ahda' First Nation	Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993)	In negotiation.	Part of the K'ahsho Got'ine District of the Sahtu Settlement Region.
Dehcho Region	Dehcho Region	Dehcho First Nations	none	In negotiation as of 2021[update]	Lands claimed approximate the Dehcho Region, although the Ka'a'gee Tu Band claims land farther east. The claim overlaps the Acho Dene Koe Territory in the southwest and overlaps with Katlʼodeeche Gotʼi Ndee in the east.
Délįnę District	Sahtu Region	Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę Government	Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993)	Délįnę Final Self-government Agreement (2014)	Part of the Sahtu Settlement Region. The government took over responsibilities of both the Délı̨nę First Nation and the Délı̨nę community government.
Fort Good Hope District	Sahtu Region	K’ahsho Got’ine Community Council (Fort Good Hope First Nation)	Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993)	In negotiation.	Part of the K'ahsho Got'ine District of the Sahtu Settlement Region.
Gwichʼin Settlement Area	Inuvik Region	Gwich'in Tribal Council Nihtat Gwichʼin (Inuvik)	Gwichʼin Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1992)	Gwichʼin Tribal Council is negotiating a self-government agreement for all of Gwichʼin except the Nihtat Gwichʼin in Inuvik, which is negotiating its own agreement.	The communities of Aklavik and Inuvik fall under both this region and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.[4][5][6][7][8] Overlaps with land claimed by First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun, which is based in Yukon.
Inuvialuit Settlement Region	Inuvik Region	Inuvialuit Regional Corporation[9]	Inuvialuit Final Agreement (1984)	In negotiation.	Area covered by the agreement extends into Yukon. It borders the Gwichʼin Settlement Area and the communities of Aklavik and Inuvik fall under both land claims[4][5][6][7][8]
Katlʼodeeche Gotʼi Ndee	South Slave Region	Kʼatlodeeche First Nation	Organized in reserves under the Indian Act.		South of Great Slave Lake. Its western boundary is approximately 50 km (31 mi) west of the Mackenzie Highway (NWT Highway 1), and its eastern boundary is approximately halfway through Wood Buffalo National Park. Its claimed land slightly overlaps in the west with claims by the Kaʼaʼgee Tu Band of the Dehcho First Nations. Half of its population lives in Hay River Reserve.
Norman Wells District	Sahtu Region	Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got’įnę Government	Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993)	Signed, awaiting ratification.	Part of the Tulita District of the Sahtu Settlement Region.
South Slave Metis Region	South Slave Region	NWT Metis Nation	an agreement-in-principle has been signed	in early stages.	Located in the South Slave Region, with current Metis councils based in Hay River, Fort Smith, and Fort Resolution. It claims two cabin sites that overlap with land claims made by Kʼatlodeeche First Nation.
Tłı̨chǫ Ndé	North Slave Region	Tłı̨chǫ Government	Tłįchǫ Land Claims and Self-government Agreement (2003)		Comprises the western half of North Slave Region, excluding the city of Yellowknife. Lands directly owned by the Tłįchǫ government are one continuous block in the centre of the region. The region is also called Wekʼèezhìı for the purpose of the water board.
Tulita District	Sahtu Region	Yamoria Community Secretariat / Tulita Dene First Nation	Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993)	In negotiation.	Part of the Tulita District of the Sahtu Settlement Region.

Census divisions

Statistics Canada divides the territory into six census divisions. These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own. They are listed below with their most populous municipality on the right:

• Region 1 – Inuvik
• Region 2 – Norman Wells
• Region 3 – Behchokǫ̀
• Region 4 – Fort Simpson
• Region 5 – Fort Smith
• Region 6 – Yellowknife

Former census divisions

Administrative regions prior to 1999

1999-2011

Prior to the 2011 census, there were two census divisions. The former census division of Inuvik was considerably larger than the administrative region of the same name.

• Fort Smith Region – Fort Smith
• Inuvik Region – Inuvik

Before 1999

Prior to the division of the NWT and the creation of Nunavut in 1999, there were five census divisions. Their boundaries were altered somewhat as part of the adjustment.

• Baffin Region
• Fort Smith Region
• Inuvik Region
• Keewatin Region
• Kitikmeot Region

See also

• List of regions of Nunavut