Which city is called the “diamond capital of North America”?
- Iqaluit
- Sudbury
- Whitehorse
- Yellowknife
Answer: Yellowknife
Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, is called the “diamond capital of North America.” It has about 20,000 people. Diamonds, along with gold, lead, copper and zinc, are among the minerals mined in the North.
Learn more: Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Canadian Rangers
- The Northwest Territories were formed in 1870 from Rupert’s Land and the North-Western Territory.
- Yellowknife, the N.W.T. capital (about 20,000 people), is called the “diamond capital of North America.”
- More than half of the N.W.T. population is Aboriginal (Dene, Inuit and Métis).
- The Mackenzie River (4,200 km) is North America’s second-longest river system after the Mississippi. It drains 1.8 million km².
- Nunavut means “our land” in Inuktitut. It was created in 1999 from the eastern part of the N.W.T., including the former District of Keewatin.
- Iqaluit, Nunavut’s capital, was formerly Frobisher Bay, named after English explorer Martin Frobisher (1576, for Queen Elizabeth I).
- Nunavut’s 22-member Legislative Assembly chooses the premier and ministers by consensus.
- About 85% of Nunavut’s people are Inuit. Inuktitut is an official language and the first language in schools.
- The Canadian Rangers are part of the Canadian Forces Reserves (militia) and draw on indigenous knowledge and experience.
- Rangers travel by snowmobile in winter and all-terrain vehicle in summer, from Resolute to the Magnetic North Pole.