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Eh! rochrox here again, but this time in the vast territory of Nunavut. We ditched Vancyon way back in Nova Scotia, and even if he did manage to catch up with us, there's no way he'd be able to find us within Nunavut's 1,932,255 kilometers squared of land (that's over twice the size of Texas!), so let's take our time and go explore the territory of Nunavut!
Vancyon: Oooooohhoooooooh
rochrox: Listen to that wind! Nunavut is above the tree line, so there's no trees to block the wind. The red area on the map below shows the arctic region of Canada. In the red area, most of the ground is permafrost (frozen ground that never thaws), so trees and other vegetation can't grow.
Vancyon: Oooohooooooooohh
rochrox: Wow, these Nunavut winds can get pretty loud! Hey, look! Over there! A tree? What the . . .
Vancyon: Heh heh heh, oops, OOOHHOOOOH
rochrox: VANCYON?! How did you find me up in Nunavut?!
Vancyon: Well it really wasn't that hard really, you left your Google Maps page open. I figured you'd need my help up here in Nunavut - you don't seem quite like the type who likes the cold --
rochrox: *scowls*
Vancyon: -- and besides, I have relatives up here who I can visit.
rochrox: You mean people actually LIVE up here?
Vancyon: Well, not very many. The population of Nunavut is just under 30,000, the lowest of any province or territory in Canada.
rochrox: That also means that Nunavut has the lowest population density (number or people per km2) of any province or territory!
Vancyon: Yup, there's not 'snow' many people up here xD.
rochrox: Very funny :P
Vancyon: So you're not going to kick me out of the article?
rochrox: Well, I would, but . . .
Vancyon: But what?
rochrox: I'm kind of lost o_o
Vancyon: Well, we've got quite a ways to get back to Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut, so I'll tell you and the Times readers all about this amazing territory.
rochrox: *sighs* I do know some things about Nunavut, it's just that the map I have is written in Inuktitut, one of the languages spoken in Nunavut. English, French and Inuktitut are the three official languages of Nunavut. I know a few words and phrases, but I'm no good at reading maps in English. Any chance you're fluent in Inuktitut?
Vancyon: Auka.
rochrox: Auka? I didn't think so (auka means "no" in Inuktitut).
Vancyon: But luckily for you, I do know how to read a map.
rochrox: Well, here it is, let's get going!
Vancyon: Aaaaah!!!!
rochrox: Aa means "yes"! You're really getting the hang of Inuktitut!
Vancyon: Takugit!
rochrox: Look? What is it? Sunauna?
Vancyon: Pppp, ppppp, ppppp, POLAR BEAR!!!
Polar Bear: RAWR! IMA EAT CHU!!
rochrox: *running* Huh, he kinda reminds me of you, Vancyon
Vancyon: *running faster* AHHHHHH!!!!
Polar Bear: *sniff sniff* Boo-hoo-hoo
Vancyon: What's wrong polar bear?
Polar Bear: Rawr. Well, chu see, my habitat is melting, so I don't have as much land to hunt on, and I'm getting hungry.
Vancyon: You know polar bears don't eat pie . . . right?
rochrox: Shhhh, I'm distracting it!
Vancyon: Unless that's meat pie, I don't think much distraction will be going on . . .
rochrox: Well do you have a better idea?
Vancyon: Actually...HEY POLAR BEAR! LOOK OUT! ROCHROX IS TAKING OFF HER MASK!
Polar Bear: Ahhhh!!!
rochrox: Hey, that wasn't funn--
Vancyon: Let's get out of here before he comes back.
rochrox: Where are we going now?
Vancyon: Iqaluit, where else?
rochrox: And how do you suppose we get there? Snowmobiles (not dogsleds!) are commonly used for transportation in the winter, but I don't suppose we'll be able to find a snowmobile in the middle of nowhere!
Vancyon: *rolls eyes* Then let's just teleport there!
rochrox: Hmmm, that might actually work!
Vancyon: Ahhh, smell that fresh island air.
rochrox: Iqaluit is located on Baffin Island, the largest island in Canada.
Vancyon: The city of Iqaluit is small and fairly remote. The population is only about 7000 people, but is steadily growing. The only way to get to Iqualuit is by plane, since there are no roads leading to Iqaluit!
rochrox: Because it's winter, it's pretty cold in Nunavut, and there's a lot of snow! You may think that because Nunavut is in the north, there is snow all year round, but in the summer the snow melts in much of Nunavut. The temperature of Nunavut will get as high as 15?C (60?F). Though the ground in many areas doesn't thaw out completely, small plants and flowers are able to grow in the summer.
Vancyon: In Northwest Nunavut, there is hardly any kind of precipitation at all; even less annually then the Sahara desert!
rochrox: Nunavut is Canada's newest territory. On April 1, 1999, the Northwest Territories were split in half; the eastern side becoming Nunavut. The premier of Nunavut is Paul Okalik.
Vancyon: In Nunavut, there are many jobs involved with the government, as well as mining and tourism. However, the unemployment rate of Nunavut is quite high compared to the rest of Canada, and over half of Nunavut's population is under 19.
rochrox: Ecotourism shows great potential for attracting tourists and therefore helping the struggling Nunavut economy to grow. Rock climbing, camping, and other outdoor sports will hopefully become more accessible in the future, so that more and more people can enjoy the breathtaking natural environment of this territory.
Vancyon: Oh no! Look at the time! We only have a few minutes before our plane leaves Iqaluit for Ottawa!
rochrox: Relax Vancyon, we can just teleport back whenever! I'm heading for downtown Iqaluit to get out of the cold. -30?C with windchill factor is making my avatar turn blue (and no, the town isn't made out of igloos! Buildings in Nunavut are much like regular buildings, only they don't have basements, because of the frozen ground!). It's a good think I'm not hungry - prices of food are much higher in Nunavut, because of the cost of shipping.
Vancyon: Well I'm off to explore some islands then. Over half of Nunavut's land area is made up of islands!
rochrox: Watch out for polar bears. Though it may seem odd, polar bears do live in Nunavut, and are dangerous!
Vancyon: Luckily I've got lots of pie with me. See you next week for our next article! *click*
rochrox: Ya, right. This was just a one-time thing! It's not my fault I can't read maps. Oh, he's gone. Well, I'll be seeing you again next week, without Vancyon. We might've argued less this week, but I think that's just because his teeth were chattering. Even Christmas trees should wear balaclavas I suppose. *click*
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