Inuvialuit Settlement Region facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Inuvialuit Settlement Region Inuvialuit Nunangit Sannaiqtuaq
Region
Inuvik, the largest community in the region
ISR in Yukon and NWT
Country	Canada
Territories	Northwest Territories Yukon
Inuvialuit Final Agreement	1984
Subregions	List Beaufort Sea Mackenzie River delta Yukon coast Northwest portion of Northwest Territories Western Arctic Archipelago
Government
• Type	Board of Directors
Area
• Total	435,000 km2 (168,000 sq mi)
• Land	90,650 km2 (35,000 sq mi)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2006)
• Total	5,336
• Density	0.012267/km2 (0.03177/sq mi)
Languages
• Indigenous	Inuvialuktun Siglitun Uummarmiutun Inuinnaqtun Inuit Uukturausingit (?)
• Settler	English
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Website	Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
The Northwest Territories area of the ISR is on MST but Herschel Island, Yukon is on PST (UTC−08:00) and PDT (UTC−07:00)

The Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) is a special area in Canada's western Arctic. It was created in 1984 through an agreement between the Government of Canada and the Inuvialuit people. This agreement is called the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

The ISR covers a huge area of land, about 90,650 square kilometers. Most of this land is above the tree line, meaning it's too cold for trees to grow tall. The region includes parts of the Beaufort Sea, the Mackenzie River delta, the northern Yukon coast, and the northwest Northwest Territories. It has both government-owned land (Crown Lands) and private lands belonging to the Inuvialuit.

The ISR is one of four Inuit regions in Canada. These regions together are known as Inuit Nunangat. The Inuvialuit Settlement Region is the traditional home of the Inuvialuit people. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation helps manage the land and money from the agreement. This corporation is run by the Inuvialuit people themselves.

Inuvialuit Communities and Culture

Pingos near Tuktoyaktuk

In 2016, about 5,336 people lived in the ISR. More than half of them (3,110 people) were Inuvialuit. The Inuvialuit form the main population in all six communities within the region. There are no towns or villages on the Yukon North Slope part of the ISR.

All six communities in the ISR are in the Northwest Territories. They are part of the Inuvik Region, which also includes Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic.

Inuvik is the biggest town and the main center for the region. It's located on the Mackenzie Delta, about 100 kilometers from the Arctic Ocean. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation has its main office here. Aklavik is the only other community not directly on the coast.

Many people in Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour still hunt, fish, and trap for a living. Sachs Harbour is the only permanent town on Banks Island. Tuktoyaktuk has the only deepwater port in the ISR, which is important for shipping. Ulukhaktok is on Victoria Island. In recent years, making prints and art has become a major way for people there to earn money. Herschel Island is part of the ISR but is in Yukon. It's not inhabited now but was traditionally used by the Inuvialuit.

English is spoken throughout the region. However, many Inuvialuit also speak their traditional languages. Siglitun is spoken in Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, and Tuktoyaktuk. Uummarmiutun is used in Inuvik and Aklavik. Inuinnaqtun is spoken in Ulukhaktok. These languages are all part of the larger Inuvialuktun language group.

Arctic Climate

The Inuvialuit Settlement Region has a cold Arctic climate. Here's a look at the average daily temperatures in some of the towns:

Wildlife and Natural Resources

Polar bears on the Beaufort Sea coast

The ISR is home to many amazing Arctic animals. The Inuvialuit have a plan to manage and protect these fish and wildlife. This plan helps make sure animals like Arctic char, Arctic fox, beluga whale, bearded seal, bowhead whale, caribou, moose, muskox, polar bear, ringed seal, and whitefish stay healthy.

The region also has important natural resources hidden underground. These include natural gas, nickel, petroleum (oil), and zinc. Some Inuvialuit lands mean the people own both the surface and the minerals below. On other lands, they only own the surface.

Protected Areas

To protect the environment and wildlife, the ISR has several special parks and bird sanctuaries.

• National Parks:
  • Aulavik National Park
  • Ivvavik National Park
  • Tuktut Nogait National Park
• Territorial Park:
  • Herschel Island Territorial Park
• Landmark:
  • Pingo Canadian Landmark (a pingo is a hill of ice covered by earth)
• Bird Sanctuaries:
  • Anderson River Delta Migratory Bird Sanctuary
  • Banks Island No. 1 Bird Sanctuary
  • Cape Perry Migratory Bird Sanctuary
  • Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary