Nunavut, Canada Genealogy

Guide to Nunavut ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Background
Nunavut is the newest, largest, and most northerly territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the boundaries had been drawn in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's political map since incorporating the province of Newfoundland in 1949.

Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada and most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Its vast territory makes it the fifth-largest country subdivision in the world, as well as North America's second-largest (after Greenland). The capital Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay), on Baffin Island in the east, was chosen by the 1995 capital plebiscite. Other major communities include the regional centres of Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay.

Nunavut also includes Ellesmere Island to the far north, as well as the eastern and southern portions of Victoria Island in the west, and all islands in Hudson, James and Ungava Bays, including Akimiski Island far to the southeast of the rest of the territory. It is Canada's only geo-political region that is not connected to the rest of North America by highway.

History

 * The first peoples in what is now Nunavut were Indigenous. The earliest-known groups were the Pre-Dorset and Dorset cultures, followed by the Thule culture and diverse groups of Inuit.
 * Centuries of European exploration in the Arctic led to the establishment of whaling stations and fur-trade posts in the 1800s.
 * When the Northwest Territories were created in 1870, the area included what is now southern Nunavut.
 * In 1880, Britain transferred its authority over the Arctic islands to Canada, and they were added to the Northwest Territories.
 * The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement of 1992 led Inuit in the Northwest Territories to vote in favour of the creation of a new territory, which became Nunavut in 1999.

Populated Places
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FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records - databases and record images on FamilySearch
 * FamilySearch Center locator map
 * — index

Additional Resources

 * How to Recognize your Canadian Ancestor
 * Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records