Naujaat (Inuktitut: ᓇᐅᔮᑦ, lit. 'seagulls' nesting place'), Anglicised and officially known until 2 July 2015 as Repulse Bay,[6] is an Inuit hamlet situated on the Arctic Circle. It is located on the shores of Hudson Bay, at the south end of the Melville Peninsula, in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada.
Repulse Bay
ᓇᐅᔮᑦ | |
|---|---|
| Naujaat | |
 Naujaat in October | |
  Repulse Bay  Repulse Bay | |
| Coordinates: 66°32′N 086°15′W / 66.533°N 86.250°W[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Region | Kivalliq |
| Electoral district | Aivilik |
| Government | |
| • Type | Hamlet Council |
| • Mayor | Alan Robinson |
| • MLA | Solomon Malliki |
| Area (2021)[4] | |
• Total | 406.19 km2 (156.83 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Population (2021)[4] | |
• Total | 1,225 |
| • Density | 3.0/km2 (7.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−05:00 (CDT) |
| Canadian Postal code | |
| Area code | 867 |
Location and wildlife
editNaujaat is at the north end of Roes Welcome Sound which separates Southampton Island from the mainland. On the east side of Naujaat Frozen Strait leads east to Foxe Channel. The hamlet is located exactly on the Arctic Circle, on the north shore of Naujaat and on the south shore of the Rae Isthmus. Transport to the community is provided primarily by air and by an annual sealift. Naujaat is home to a wide variety of animals including polar bears, caribou, seals, whales, and walrus. There are also approximately one hundred species of birds in the area, including gyrfalcons and peregrine falcons.
History
editNaujaat is translated into English variously as "seagull fledgling," "seagull resting place" or "seagulls' nesting place," named after a cliff 5 km (3.1 mi) to the north, where seagulls, migrating from the south each June, make their nests. Naujaat was first visited by Europeans in the 1740s, and by the late 1800s it became a popular whaling ground for American and Scottish whalers. Many Naujaat Inuit residents worked on board these whaling vessels from the south. Although there are various theories as to the origin of the English name "Repulse Bay," many attribute the name to Christopher Middleton, who when searching for the Northwest Passage in 1742 discovered that the bay was not a route out of Hudson Bay, but rather a cul-de-sac. He is claimed to have called it the "Bay of Repulse, the bay where I was pushed away". Others believe that the name comes from an 18th-century English vessel named Repulse (1759) which visited the area.[dubious – discuss] The Hudson's Bay Company opened a post in Naujaat about 1916 and in 1923 a rival fur trading company, Revillon Frères, opened a post. A Roman Catholic Mission was built in 1932. Naujaat was formerly part of the District of Keewatin and the Keewatin Region; in 1999 the area became part of the Kivalliq Region.
On 12 May 2014, a by-election was held to elect a new mayor which was won by Solomon Malliki. At the same time a non-binding plebiscite was held to gauge how the community felt about restoring the traditional name, Naujaat. With voter turnout at 36% there were 82 people in favour and 73 opposed to the name change. The name was officially changed on 2 July 2015.[7]
Naujaat today
editThe Naujaat community continues to rely on traditional sealing, fishing, hunting, trapping, and carving for their livelihood, together with tourism. Naujaat is known for its Inuit artists, especially carvers (typically creating small realist animal sculptures of ivory, soapstone, marble and antler), as well as jewellery and crafts. Its people are the 'Aivilingmiut'.
It is served by Naujaat Airport.
Demographics
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 265 | — |
| 1981 | 352 | +32.8% |
| 1986 | 420 | +19.3% |
| 1991 | 488 | +16.2% |
| 1996 | 559 | +14.5% |
| 2001 | 612 | +9.5% |
| 2006 | 748 | +22.2% |
| 2011 | 945 | +26.3% |
| 2016 | 1,082 | +14.5% |
| 2021 | 1,225 | +13.2% |
| Source: Statistics Canada [4][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] | ||
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Naujaat had a population of 1,225 living in 223 of its 246 total private dwellings, a change of 13.2% from its 2016 population of 1,082. With a land area of 406.19 km2 (156.83 sq mi), it had a population density of 3.0/km2 (7.8/sq mi) in 2021.[4]
Broadband communications
editBoth Qiniq and NorthwesTel have operations in Naujaat.[17][18] Since late 2018, Qiniq has offered 4G LTE and 2G-GSM technology for mobile users in Naujaat.[19]
Climate
editNaujaat has a tundra climate (Köppen ET) with short but cool summers and long, cold winters.
| Climate data for Naujaat (Naujaat Airport) Climate ID: 2403490 ; coordinates 66°31′17″N 86°13′29″W / 66.52139°N 86.22472°W; elevation: 22.9 m (75 ft); 1981–2010 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high humidex | −4.6 | −11.6 | −2.1 | 2.4 | 7.9 | 21.1 | 29.3 | 21.9 | 15.4 | 4.2 | 0.4 | −1.0 | 29.3 |
| Record high °C (°F) | −1.7 (28.9) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
3.5 (38.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
22.5 (72.5) |
28.0 (82.4) |
22.0 (71.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.0 (32.0) |
1.1 (34.0) |
28.0 (82.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −28.2 (−18.8) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
−22.4 (−8.3) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
13.1 (55.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−15.2 (4.6) |
−22.3 (−8.1) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −31.3 (−24.3) |
−31.4 (−24.5) |
−26.4 (−15.5) |
−17.1 (1.2) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
3.0 (37.4) |
8.8 (47.8) |
6.8 (44.2) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−18.8 (−1.8) |
−25.8 (−14.4) |
−12.1 (10.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −34.1 (−29.4) |
−34.6 (−30.3) |
−30.4 (−22.7) |
−21.4 (−6.5) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
4.4 (39.9) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−22.2 (−8.0) |
−29.3 (−20.7) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −47.8 (−54.0) |
−50.0 (−58.0) |
−45.0 (−49.0) |
−40.0 (−40.0) |
−27.0 (−16.6) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−31.0 (−23.8) |
−42.0 (−43.6) |
−46.0 (−50.8) |
−50.0 (−58.0) |
| Record low wind chill | −66.3 | −63.7 | −59.5 | −49.7 | −30.2 | −18.7 | 0.0 | −8.3 | −18.1 | −41.1 | −50.1 | −59.2 | −66.3 |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18.4 (0.72) |
14.8 (0.58) |
18.6 (0.73) |
24.3 (0.96) |
18.5 (0.73) |
28.9 (1.14) |
29.0 (1.14) |
46.4 (1.83) |
33.6 (1.32) |
28.2 (1.11) |
29.2 (1.15) |
21.4 (0.84) |
311.3 (12.26) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.4 (0.02) |
1.9 (0.07) |
23.3 (0.92) |
29.0 (1.14) |
46.1 (1.81) |
22.3 (0.88) |
0.8 (0.03) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
123.8 (4.87) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 18.8 (7.4) |
19.1 (7.5) |
21.7 (8.5) |
27.7 (10.9) |
19.7 (7.8) |
5.5 (2.2) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.1) |
12.6 (5.0) |
32.6 (12.8) |
32.9 (13.0) |
24.6 (9.7) |
215.4 (84.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 10.3 | 6.7 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 11.1 | 13.7 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 123.4 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 6.5 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 7.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 36.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 10.2 | 7.3 | 11.6 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 4.8 | 13.1 | 11.8 | 10.5 | 91.6 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 74.2 | 71.9 | 73.5 | 80.9 | 82.7 | 78.1 | 65.3 | 71.1 | 81.1 | 85.9 | 79.1 | 76.0 | 76.7 |
| Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010[20] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
edit- Cecilia Angmadlok Angutialuk (born 1938), artist and sculptor
- Jack Anawak (born 1950), politician
- Peter Irniq (born 1947), politician
- Madeleine Isserkut Kringayak (1928–1984), sculptor and jewelry artist
- Jose Kusugak (1950–2011), politician
- Michael Kusugak (born 1948), storyteller and children's writer
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Naujaat". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ "Municipal Election Results 2019-2020" (PDF). Elections Nunavut. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ "2021 General Election" (PDF). Elections Nunavut. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nunavut". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Elevation at airport. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
- ^ Naujaat, Nunavut, residents celebrate official renaming today
- ^ "Repulse Bay to officially change name to Naujaat July 2". CBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ "1976 Census of Canada: Population - Geographic Distributions" (PDF). Statistics Canada. June 1977. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "1981 Census of Canada: Census subdivisions in decreasing population order" (PDF). Statistics Canada. May 1992. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "1986 Census: Population - Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions" (PDF). Statistics Canada. September 1987. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "91 Census: Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions - Population and Dwelling Counts" (PDF). Statistics Canada. April 1992. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "96 Census: A National Overview - Population and Dwelling Counts" (PDF). Statistics Canada. April 1997. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Nunavut)". Statistics Canada. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Nunavut)". Statistics Canada. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Nunavut)". Statistics Canada. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nunavut)". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "QINIQ The Coolest Hotspot on Earth". Qiniq. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Where we operate". Northwestel. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "SSi Mobile Launches in Iqaluit" (PDF). SSi Micro. 19 September 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Repulse Bay A". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment and Climate Change Canada. Climate ID: 2403490. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
Further reading
edit- "Conducting a Trading Post Farthest North - A Life That Gets into the Blood of a Man" - May 18, 1924 New Bedford Sunday Standard article on the Repulse Bay HBC post in the early 1920s.
- Fatal Passage, Ken McGoogan. Has an account of HBC explorer John Rae wintering in Repulse Bay in the late 1840s / early 1850s