Northwest Territories - Territory of Northwest Territories , Canada - top Canadian

Now stretching north of Saskatchewan to British Columbia toward the Arctic Ocean at its highest points, the Northwest Territories (NWT) got its name in 1870 when the Hudson's Bay Company and Great Britain transferred territory to Canada that lay northwest of the country's central region. Ten years later, Britain gave Canada the arctic islands, the year Manitoba was carved out of the NWT, followed by Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1905. In 1999, the eastern section was portioned off to create Canada's newest territory, Nunavut.

Still, the Northwest Territories remain a mighty northern presence in Canada, occupying over 1.1 million square kilometres. A wilderness paradise consisting of a blend of tundra and mountainous highlands, the NWT has an economy built on tourism, mining and government, which runs differently than its provincial counterparts to the south.

Though the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories functions in much the same way as provincial legislatures, its 19 members represent no political parties and choose from among themselves one person to serve as Speaker and another as Premier. The assembly then selects seven other members to form the Executive Council, often called the Cabinet, which forms the government. A Commissioner, appointed by the federal government, fulfills a role similar to that of a provincial lieutenant-governor. But unlike the South, characterized by densely populated urban areas, the Northwest Territories only has one city, Yellowknife, the capital, and its population is just over 42,000 - half of whom are aboriginals, mainly from the Dene (Indian), Inuit and MÃ©tis communities.

About the Government of the Northwest Territories

The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories has 19 members and functions in much the same way as a provincial legislature, except that there are no political parties. Operating under a consensus system, six Ministers and a Premier are elected by the members of the Assembly to form the Executive Council, also called the Cabinet. There is a Commissioner who fulfills a role similar to that of a Lieutenant Governor in the provinces.

The NWT is in the federal electoral riding of Western Arctic and has one Member of Parliament and one Senator.

Commissioner:	Anthony W.J. Whitford
Premier:	Hon. Floyd Roland
Member of Parliament:	Dennis Bevington (NDP)
Senator:	Nick Sibbeston (Liberal)
Capital:	Yellowknife

If you are interested in the official symbols of the NWT, check out the Legislative Assembly's Symbols of the Northwest Territories.

NWT Statistics

Population:	As of July 1, 2007 there were 42, 637 people in the Northwest Territories. Approximately half the population is Aboriginal.
Land mass:	1,171,918 square kilometres
Local governments:

	Cities:	1 (Yellowknife)
	Villages:	1
	Settlements:	2
	Towns:	4
	Hamlets:	11
	Charter Communities:	4
	Designated Authorities:	10

Interested in other numbers on the NWT? Check out the NWT Bureau of Statistics.

Visiting the Northwest Territories?

If you're interested in visiting the NWT, follow this link.

Working On A School Project?

We get a lot of interest about the Northwest Territories and our government from students. If you're working on a project for school, follow this link.

If you are interested in the official symbols of the NWT check out the Legislative Assembly's Symbols of the Northwest Territories.

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