Sanirajak

Sanirajak (Inuktitut meaning the shoreline^[7]), Syllabics: ᓴᓂᕋᔭᒃ), formerly known as Hall Beach until 27 February 2020,^[8] is an Inuit settlement within the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, approximately 69 km (43 mi) south of Igloolik.

Sanirajak ᓴᓂᕋᔭᒃ
Hamlet
North Warning site 1997
Sanirajak Show map of Nunavut Sanirajak Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 68°47′25″N 081°14′15″W[1]
Country	Canada
Territory	Nunavut
Region	Qikiqtaaluk
Electoral district	Amittuq
Settled	1953
Government [3][4]
• Mayor	Philip Anguratsiaq
• MLA Amittuq	Joelie Kaernerk
Area  (2021)[5]
• Total	16.36 km2 (6.32 sq mi)
Elevation [6]	8 m (26 ft)
Population  (2021)[5]
• Total	891
• Density	54.5/km2 (141/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Canadian Postal code	X0A 0K0
Area code	867

History

It was established in 1957 during the construction of a Distant Early Warning (DEW) site. Currently the settlement is home to a North Warning System (68°45′44″N 081°13′44″W) radar facility and the Hall Beach Airport.

In 1971, seven sounding rockets of the Tomahawk Sandia type were launched from Sanirajak, some reaching altitudes of 270 km (170 mi).^[9]

Demographics

Federal census population history of Sanirajak

Year	Pop.	±%
1976	287	—
1981	349	+21.6%
1986	451	+29.2%
1991	526	+16.6%
1996	543	+3.2%
2001	609	+12.2%
2006	654	+7.4%
2011	736	+12.5%
2016	848	+15.2%
2021	891	+5.1%
Source: Statistics Canada [5][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Sanirajak (Hall Beach) had a population of 891 living in 197 of its 205 total private dwellings, a change of 5.1% from its 2016 population of 848. With a land area of 16.36 km² (6.32 sq mi), it had a population density of 54.5/km² (141.1/sq mi) in 2021.^[5]

Geography

Sanirajak in 1997

Climate

Sanirajak has a tundra climate (Köppen: ETf), a polar climate sub-type under the Köppen climate classification, without the presence of trees, and iced over for most of the year.^[19] Summers are very short and cool, with chilly nights. Winters are long and extremely cold, lasting most of the year with little chance of a thaw.

Climate data for Sanirajak (Hall Beach Airport) WMO ID: 71081; coordinates 68°46′33″N 81°14′33″W; elevation: 9.1 m (30 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1957−present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high humidex	0.0	0.4	−0.6	2.2	4.0	21.1	27.9	28.0	14.0	4.3	0.3	−0.9	28.0
Record high °C (°F)	1.3 (34.3)	0.4 (32.7)	−0.5 (31.1)	3.3 (37.9)	4.4 (39.9)	21.1 (70.0)	23.3 (73.9)	24.8 (76.6)	14.6 (58.3)	4.2 (39.6)	0.6 (33.1)	0.4 (32.7)	24.8 (76.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−26.7 (−16.1)	−27.9 (−18.2)	−23.5 (−10.3)	−14.2 (6.4)	−4.5 (23.9)	3.3 (37.9)	10.2 (50.4)	8.2 (46.8)	2.3 (36.1)	−4.3 (24.3)	−14.2 (6.4)	−21.0 (−5.8)	−9.4 (15.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−30.7 (−23.3)	−31.8 (−25.2)	−28.1 (−18.6)	−19.0 (−2.2)	−8.1 (17.4)	1.2 (34.2)	6.9 (44.4)	5.6 (42.1)	0.6 (33.1)	−7.1 (19.2)	−18.3 (−0.9)	−25.1 (−13.2)	−12.8 (9.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−34.6 (−30.3)	−35.7 (−32.3)	−32.6 (−26.7)	−23.8 (−10.8)	−11.6 (11.1)	−0.9 (30.4)	3.5 (38.3)	2.8 (37.0)	−1.2 (29.8)	−9.8 (14.4)	−22.4 (−8.3)	−29.1 (−20.4)	−16.3 (2.7)
Record low °C (°F)	−50.0 (−58.0)	−54.1 (−65.4)	−52.5 (−62.5)	−44.1 (−47.4)	−31.1 (−24.0)	−20.6 (−5.1)	−3.3 (26.1)	−5.1 (22.8)	−16.7 (1.9)	−33.6 (−28.5)	−42.2 (−44.0)	−53.9 (−65.0)	−54.1 (−65.4)
Record low wind chill	−72.8	−71.7	−66.6	−58.0	−44.7	−32.7	−7.8	−11.7	−25.1	−49.6	−61.4	−64.6	−72.8
Average precipitation mm (inches)	6.1 (0.24)	5.9 (0.23)	8.2 (0.32)	11.6 (0.46)	15.6 (0.61)	18.2 (0.72)	21.7 (0.85)	38.4 (1.51)	30.9 (1.22)	27.1 (1.07)	16.1 (0.63)	9.6 (0.38)	209.3 (8.24)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	2.6 (0.10)	14.5 (0.57)	22.2 (0.87)	40.5 (1.59)	17.9 (0.70)	2.3 (0.09)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.00)	100.2 (3.94)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	10.4 (4.1)	8.9 (3.5)	12.2 (4.8)	18.2 (7.2)	16.5 (6.5)	10.0 (3.9)	0.0 (0.0)	1.9 (0.7)	12.4 (4.9)	33.3 (13.1)	25.4 (10.0)	14.3 (5.6)	163.3 (64.3)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	8.4	6.9	8.5	10.6	10.5	9.3	10.9	12.3	12.0	15.8	12.4	10.0	127.4
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	0.05	0.0	0.0	0.14	1.1	7.3	10.6	12.8	6.8	1.4	0.17	0.35	40.6
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	9.7	7.2	8.5	10.7	9.6	5.2	0.05	0.95	6.6	15.2	13.7	11.0	98.3
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) (at 3pm)	68.7	68.3	70.6	76.4	84.1	87.7	80.0	81.9	84.5	87.8	80.0	73.3	78.6
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada[20]

See also

• List of municipalities in Nunavut
• Charles Francis Hall

References

1. "Sanirajak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
2. "Sanirajak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
3. "Municipal Election Results 2019-2020" (PDF). Elections Nunavut. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
4. "2021 General Election" (PDF). Elections Nunavut. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
5. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nunavut". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
6. Elevation at airport. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
7. "Sanirajak (Hall Beach)". Retrieved 21 January 2023.
8. Tranter, Emma (28 February 2020). "Nunavut minister signs off on name changes for two communities". Nunatsiaq News. Nortext Publishing Corporation. Nunatsiaq News. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
9. "Hall Beach". Archived from the original on 2 December 2008.
10. "1976 Census of Canada: Population - Geographic Distributions" (PDF). Statistics Canada. June 1977. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
11. "1981 Census of Canada: Census subdivisions in decreasing population order" (PDF). Statistics Canada. May 1992. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
12. "1986 Census: Population - Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions" (PDF). Statistics Canada. September 1987. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
13. "91 Census: Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions - Population and Dwelling Counts" (PDF). Statistics Canada. April 1992. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
14. "96 Census: A National Overview - Population and Dwelling Counts" (PDF). Statistics Canada. April 1997. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
15. "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.
16. "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.
17. "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.
18. "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.
19. "Hall Beach, Nunavut Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
20. "Sanirajak / Hall Beach". Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020. Environment and Climate Change Canada. Climate ID: 2402350. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.

Further reading

• McAlpine PJ, and NE Simpson. 1976. "Fertility and Other Demographic Aspects of the Canadian Eskimo Communities of Igloolik and Hall Beach". Human Biology; an International Record of Research. 48, no. 1: 114–38.
• Wenzel, George W. 1997. "Using Harvest Research in Nunavut: An Example from Hall Beach". Arctic Anthropology. 34, no. 1: 18.