Inuvik, << ih NOO vihk >> (pop. 3,137), is an administrative and commercial center in the northwestern part of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Its population is made up of Dene, Inuit, Métis, and non-Indigenous people. Dene are First Nations people. Inuit in the region are called Inuvialuit. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis are the three main Indigenous (native) groups in Canada. Métis are people with both First Nations and European ancestry.
Inuvik was built in the 1950’s to replace Aklavik as a regional administrative center. Aklavik had poor ground conditions and was often affected by the spring floods of the Mackenzie River. Inuvik was one of the first planned settlements in the Canadian North. Because it was built on permafrost (permanently frozen ground), it required a unique aboveground network of corridors to carry water and sewage.
Inuvik has served as the main staging area for oil and gas exploration in the Mackenzie River delta and the Beaufort Sea, and for a natural-gas pipeline between the Northwest Territories and Alberta.
