Iqaluit

Iqaluit (Inuktitut: ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ) is the capital of and largest community in Nunavut in Canada. It is the most northerly capital in Canada, and it was once Canada's fastest growing community.^[8]

Iqaluit ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ (Inuktitut)
City
Iqaluit from Joamie Hill in June 2010
Iqaluit Location of Iqaluit Show map of Nunavut Iqaluit Iqaluit (Canada) Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 63°44′58″N 68°31′18″W[1]
Country	Canada
Territory	Nunavut
Region	Qikiqtaaluk
Electoral districts	Iqaluit-Manirajak Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu Iqaluit-Sinaa Iqaluit-Tasiluk
Settled	1942
Village status	1974
Town status	1980
City status	19 April 2001
Founded by	Nakasuk
Government [2][3][4]
• Type	Iqaluit City Council
• Mayor	Solomon Awa
• MLAs	P.J. Akeeagok Janet Brewster George Hickes Adam Lightstone
• MP	Lori Idlout
Area  (2021)[5][6]
• Total	51.58 km2 (19.92 sq mi)
• Population Centre	10.48 km2 (4.05 sq mi)
Elevation [7]	30 m (110 ft)
Population  (2021)[5][6]
• Total	7,429
• Density	144.0/km2 (373/sq mi)
• Population Centre	6,991
• Population Centre density	667.0/km2 (1,728/sq mi)
Demonym	Iqalummiut
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code	X0A 0A1, X0A 0H0, X0A 1H0, X0A 2H0, X0A 3H0
Area code	867
Telephone exchanges	222 (mobile), 975, 979
NTS Map	25N10 Hill Island
GNBC Code	OATRP[1]
Website	iqaluit.ca

History

The name Iqaluit is Inuktitut word meaning "place of many fish".^[9] It is built on the mouth of the Sylvia Grinnell River, on Frobisher Bay. English explorer Martin Frobisher sailed into the bay in 1576 and thought he had discovered the Northwest Passage.^[9] The settlement was called Frobisher Bay from 1955 until 1987.^[9] The weather in there is normally cold.