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 Latitude & Longitude: 63° 45' N - 68° 31' W
Elevation: 34m
Population: ~6800
Growth: An increase of about 1800 since 2000
Land area: 52.34 square km
Postal Codes: X0A 0H0, X0A 1H0
Timezone: Eastern Standard Time - EST (GMT -5)
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Iqaluit is not now, and very likely never will be connected to the Canadian or any other highyway system. We are accessible by aircraft and, subject to ice conditions in the summer months, by boat. The Iqaluit Airport is a fully modern facility whose original WWII-era runway is more than long enough for most classes of modern jet. Although there is a persistent rumour that Iqaluit is an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle, this is not true.
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In 1576 Britain's Sir Martin Frobisher landed on Baffin Island in search of the Northwest Passage, a hoped-for shortcut to the Orient. It was also believed that there would be gold here, so in 1578, his last of 3 expeditions to the area, Frobisher established a settlement at what is now Iqaluit, the territorial capital. However, neither the passage nor gold were found, so for the next 200 years not much interest was shown in the area. In 1845 the ill-fated Franklin expedition disappeared here, with 128 lives lost. The actual Northwest Passage was not discovered until 1845, and as it ran through the frozen waters of the Arctic archipelago, it was hardly of any practical use.
 Current Northwest Passage routes through the Canadian North |
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About Iqaluit 
