Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated NT or NWT; French: Territoires du Nord-Ouest; formerly North-West Territories) is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km2 (442,000 sq mi) and a 2016 census population of 41,790, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of 2023 is 45,668. Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and only city in the territory; its population was 19,569 as of the 2016 census. It became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.
Northwest Territories | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 69°30′01″N 121°30′08″W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Before confederation | British Arctic Territories, North-Western Territory, Rupert's Land |
| Confederation | July 15, 1870 (5th, with Manitoba) |
| Capital (and largest city) | Yellowknife |
| Largest metro | Yellowknife |
| Government | |
| • Type | Parliamentary system, with consensus government |
| • Commissioner | Margaret Thom |
| • Premier | R. J. Simpson |
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories |
| Federal representation | Parliament of Canada |
| House seats | 1 of 338 (0.3%) |
| Senate seats | 1 of 105 (1%) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,346,106 km2 (519,734 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,183,085 km2 (456,792 sq mi) |
| • Water | 163,021 km2 (62,943 sq mi) 12.1% |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| 13.5% of Canada | |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 41,070 |
| • Estimate (Q4 2023) | 44,760 |
| • Rank | 11th |
| • Density | 0.03/km2 (0.08/sq mi) |
| Demonyms | Northwest Territorian FR: Franco-Ténois(e) |
| Official languages |
|
| GDP | |
| • Rank | 11th |
| • Total (2017) | C$4.856 billion |
| • Per capita | C$108,065 (1st) |
| HDI | |
| • HDI (2021) | 0.930—Very high (4th) |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 |
| Canadian postal abbr. | NT |
| Postal code prefix | |
| ISO 3166 code | CA-NT |
| Flower | Mountain avens |
| Tree | Tamarack Larch |
| Bird | Gyrfalcon |
| Rankings include all provinces and territories | |
The Northwest Territories, a portion of the old North-Western Territory, entered the Canadian Confederation on July 15, 1870. Since then, the territory has been divided four times to create new provinces and territories or enlarge existing ones. Its current borders date from April 1, 1999, when the territory's size was decreased again by the creation of a new territory of Nunavut to the east, through the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. While Nunavut is mostly Arctic tundra, the Northwest Territories has a slightly warmer climate and is both boreal forest (taiga) and tundra, and its most northern regions form part of the Arctic Archipelago.
The Northwest Territories has the most interprovincial and inter-territorial land borders among all provinces and territories of Canada. It is bordered by the territories of Nunavut to the east and Yukon to the west, and by the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the south; it also touches Manitoba to the southeast at a quadripoint that includes Nunavut and Saskatchewan. The land area of the Northwest Territories is roughly equal to that of France, Portugal and Spain combined, although its overall area is even larger because of its vast lakes.