Iqaluit

Iqaluit
ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ (Inuktitut syllabics)
From top left: Cityscape from Joamie Hill, Iqaluit waterfront, Aurora borealis at night, Iqaluit Airport's former building, St. Jude's Cathedral
Iqaluit
Location of Iqaluit
Iqaluit
Iqaluit (Canada)
Coordinates: 63°44′58″N 68°31′18″W / 63.74944°N 68.52167°W / 63.74944; -68.52167
CountryCanada
TerritoryNunavut
RegionQikiqtaaluk
Electoral districtsIqaluit-Manirajak
Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu
Iqaluit-Sinaa
Iqaluit-Tasiluk
Settled1942
Village status1974
Town status1980
City status19 April 2001
Founded byNakasuk
Government
  TypeIqaluit City Council
  MayorSolomon Awa
  MLAsP.J. Akeeagok
Janet Brewster
George Hickes
Adam Lightstone
  MPLori Idlout
Area
 (2021)
  Total
51.58 km2 (19.92 sq mi)
  Population Centre10.48 km2 (4.05 sq mi)
Elevation
30 m (110 ft)
Population
 (2021)
  Total
7,429
  Density144.0/km2 (373/sq mi)
  Population Centre
6,991
  Population Centre density667.0/km2 (1,728/sq mi)
DemonymIqalummiut
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code
X0A 0A1, X0A 0H0, X0A 1H0, X0A 2H0, X0A 3H0
Area code867
Telephone exchanges222 (mobile), 975, 979
NTS Map25N10 Hill Island
GNBC CodeOATRP
Websiteiqaluit.ca

Iqaluit is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is the territory's largest community and its only city, and the northernmost city in Canada. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. Its traditional Inuktitut name was restored in 1987.

In 1999, Iqaluit was designated the capital of Nunavut after the division of the Northwest Territories into two separate territories. Before this event, Iqaluit was a small city and not well known outside the Canadian Arctic or Canada, with population and economic growth highly limited. This is due to Iqaluit's isolation and heavy dependence on expensive imported supplies, as the city, like the rest of Nunavut, has no road or rail connections to the rest of Canada, and has ship connections for only part of the year. Iqaluit has a polar climate, influenced by the cold deep waters of the Labrador Current just off Baffin Island, which makes the city cold, although it is well south of the Arctic Circle.

As of the 2021 Canadian census, the population was 7,429 (population centre: 6,991), a decrease of 4.0 per cent from the 2016 census. Iqaluit has the lowest population of any capital city in Canada. Inhabitants of Iqaluit are called Iqalummiut (singular: Iqalummiuq).