Iqaluit

Iqaluit (Inuktitut: ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ) is the capital of and largest community in Nunavut in Canada. It is the most northerly capital in Canada, and is also Canada's fastest growing community.^[7]

Iqaluit ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ Frobisher Bay
City
City of Iqaluit
Iqaluit from Joamie Hill in June 2010
Iqaluit Show map of Nunavut Iqaluit Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 63°44′55″N 068°31′11″W
Country	Canada
Territory	Nunavut
Region	Qikiqtaaluk Region
Electoral districts	Iqaluit-Manirajak Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu Iqaluit-Sinaa Iqaluit-Tasiluk
Settled	1942
Village status	1974
Town status	1980
City status	19 April 2001
Founded by	Nakasuk
Government [1][2][3][4][5]
• Type	Iqaluit Municipal Council
• Mayor	Madeleine Redfern[6]
• MLAs	Monica Ell-Kanayuk Pat Angnakak Paul Okalik George Hickes
Area
• Total	52.50 km2 (20.27 sq mi)
• Population Centre	9.55 km2 (3.69 sq mi)
Population  (2016)
• Total	7,740
• Density	150/km2 (380/sq mi)
• Population Centre	7,082
• Population Centre density	740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Demonym	Iqalummiut
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Canadian Postal code	X0A 0H0, X0A 1H0
Area code	867
Telephone Exchanges	222 (mobile), 975, 979
NTS Map	025N10
GNBC Code	OATRP
Website	www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca

History

The name Iqaluit is Inuktitut word meaning "place of many fish".^[8] It is built on the mouth of the Sylvia Grinnell River, on Frobisher Bay. English explorer Martin Frobisher sailed into the bay in 1576 and thought he had discovered the Northwest Passage.^[8] The settlement was called Frobisher Bay from 1955 until 1987.^[8] The weather in there is normally cold.