Yukon

One of the three territories of Canada, Yukon is the Western-most of the three in the North. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean on the North, the Northwest Territories on the East, British Columbia on the South, and by Alaska (the United States) on the West.

The capital of Yukon is Whitehorse, as it was the most populated area in the territory when Yukon gained its territory status. Being the only city, it contains the majority of the population. The rest of the population is spread out over a few municipalities in the Southern half of the territory.

Traditionally home to a number of First Nations peoples, it is believed that Yukon was the first region in Canada populated by people after crossing the Bering Strait.

Yukon was the first to split from the Northwest Territories in 1898, after the Government of Canada decided that the Yukon needed more control after the Gold Rush started in 1896.

In 1967, a territory-wide competition was held to choose a flag, and a student's (Lynn Lambert, from Haines Junction) design won. The green bar represents the forests of the territory, the white is for the snow, and the blue represents the lakes and rivers of the Yukon. In the centre of the flag is the province's coat of arms. The top of the coat of arms has a malamute (a kind of husky) standing on a pile of snow, representative of the traditional form of long-distance travel in the territory. The top of the crest is the cross of St. George, representing the English fur traders, with a round panel of fur for the fur trade. The wavy blue and white stripes represent the Yukon River and the gold-bearing banks of the Yukon. The red triangles symbolise the mountains of the Yukon, with the gold circles representing the mineral resources of the territory.

Yukon is thought to derive from the native word "Yu-kun-ah", which means "Great River", referring to the Yukon River that runs through the area.