One of the three territories of Canada, Nunavut is the Eastern-most of the three in the North, and the largest province or territory. It is bordered on the West by the Northwest Territories, on the North and East by the Arctic Ocean, and on the South by Manitoba.
The capital is Iqaluit, located on the South East of Baffin Island, the largest island in Canada.
Nunavut split from the Northwest Territories in 1999 after a plebiscite to the people of the Northwest Territories, making it the newest province or territory. The people of Nunavut are spread out across the territory, but with such a large area and such a small population, the population density is zero people per square kilometre. Nunavut is home to the Northern-most permanently inhabited place, thought it is only home to rotating science and armed forces personnel.
Traditionally home to the Inuit people, the majority of people in Nunavut today are Inuit as well.
The flag of Nunavut was created in 1999 when Nunavut was separated from the Northwest Territories. The white, blue, and gold on the flag symbolise the riches of the land, sea, and sky. The inuksuk in the centre of the flag is a reference to the stone monuments (called inusuks) used by the Inuit for marking sacred and special places. The red of the inusuk represents Canada. The blue start represents the North Star, called Niqirtsituk in Inuktituk, which was used for navigation, but also symbolises the unchanging nature of the leadership of elders in the Inuit community.
Nunavut comes from Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit, and means "Our Land".
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