Inuvik, meaning "place of man," is a unique town located in the Inuvik Region of Canada's Northwest Territories. As the third-largest community in the region, Inuvik serves as an administrative and service centre for the Beaufort Delta Region. This article explores the rich history, demographics, geography, and attractions of Inuvik, Northwest Territories.
Inuvik was established in 1953 as a replacement administrative centre for the hamlet of Aklavik, which was prone to flooding and lacked room for expansion. Initially known as "New Aklavik," the town was renamed Inuvik in 1958. The community began to grow in 1960 with the construction of a school, hospital, government offices, and staff residences.
Inuvik's history is also marked by its role as a military and communications hub. Naval Radio Station (NRS) Inuvik, later known as CFS Inuvik, was commissioned in 1963. However, the station closed in 1986, and the site was transferred to the Department of Transport for use as a telecommunications station.
Inuvik achieved village status in 1967 and became a full town in 1979. The completion of the Dempster Highway in 1979 connected Inuvik to Canada's highway system, making it the most northerly town in Canada accessible by road.
According to the 2021 Canadian census, Inuvik has a population of 3,137. The town is home to a diverse population, with 63.6% identifying as Inuvialuit, 26.1% as First Nations, 5.8% as Métis, and 4.8% reporting other Indigenous heritage. The non-Indigenous population of Inuvik is 36.6%. The main language spoken in Inuvik is English, but some residents also speak Inuinnaqtun and Gwichʼin.
Inuvik is located on the East Channel of the Mackenzie Delta, approximately 100 km from the Arctic Ocean and 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. The town is surrounded by boreal forest and experiences an average of 56 days of midnight sun every summer and 30 days of polar night every winter.
Inuvik is accessible by road, air, and water. The Dempster Highway links Inuvik to the rest of Canada, and the Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway connects the town to the Arctic coast. The Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport is serviced by several regional carriers, and when the Mackenzie River is ice-free, Marine Transportation Services provides a commercial barge service.
Inuvik has a subarctic climate with long, cold winters and short, cool summers. The town experiences a great variation of temperatures throughout the year, with temperatures often dropping below -40°C in the winter and rising above 30°C in the summer.
Inuvik is home to several famous landmarks, including Our Lady of Victory Church, often called the Igloo Church, and the Midnight Sun Mosque, North America's northernmost mosque. The town also hosts several annual events, such as the Great Northern Arts Festival, the Sunrise Festival, and the Muskrat Jamboree.
Inuvik boasts a new hospital, the Midnight Sun Complex multi-use facility, and a state-of-the-art school called East 3. A distinct feature of Inuvik is the use of "utilidors" – above-ground utility conduits carrying water and sewage – which are necessary because of the permafrost underlying the town.
In a nod to its unique place in the world, the International Astronomical Union's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature officially adopted the name Inuvik for a crater on Mars in 1988. The Inuvik crater, located at 78.7° north latitude and 28.6° west longitude, has a diameter of 20.5 km.
