YUKON

Confederation Date / Fit son entrée dans la Confédération

1898

Area / Superficie

Land / Terre - 478,970 sq.km/km²

Water / Eau - 4,480 sq.km/km²

Total - 483,450 sq.km/km²

Population

(Census / Recensement): 1901 - 27,000; 1911 - 9,000; 1921 - 4,000; 1931 - 4,200; 1941 - 5,000; 1951 - 9,100; 1956 - 12,200; 1961 - 14,600; 1966 - 14,400; 1971 - 18,400; 1976 - 21,800; 1981 - 23,200; 1986 - 23,500; 1991 - 27,797; 1994 - 31,197; 1996 - 33,911; 1997 - 33,930; 1998 - 31,768;

1999 - 30,896; 2001 - 30,418; (Estimate/Estimation 2004) - 31,209

Capital / Capitale

Whitehorse

Major Centres / Centres principaux (2001)

Whitehorse: 22,545 Dawson City: 1,857 Watson Lake: 1,593 Haines Junction: 777 Faro: 388

Yukon Territory Small territory in the extreme nw of Canada, bounded by the Arctic Ocean (n), Northwest Territories (e), British Columbia (s), and Alaska (w); the capital and largest town is Whitehorse. The n consists of Arctic waste and is virtually uninhabited. Further s there is spectacular mountain scenery with lakes and coniferous forests. The region is drained by the Yukon and Mackenzie rivers. The climate is harsh, with freezing winters and short summers. The region was first explored by fur traders from the Hudson's Bay Company after 1840. The Klondike Gold Rush brought over 30,000 prospectors in the 1890s. In 1991 the Canadian government recognized the land claims of the indigenous Yukon (First Nation) Native Americans. Farming is extremely limited, but a few cereal crops and vegetables are grown in the valleys. The principal activity is mining, with deposits including lead, zinc and gold. Forestry and tourism are economically important. Area: 483,450sq km (186,675sq mi). Pop. (2001) 28,674.

http://www.gov.yk.ca

Yukon Fourth-longest river in North America, deriving its name from a Native American word for ‘great’. It rises at Lake Tagish on the border of British Columbia, Canada, and flows n and nw through Yukon Territory across the border into Alaska. It then flows sw to enter the Bering Sea. The Russians explored the lower course of the river in 1836–37; Robert Campbell explored the upper course in 1843. It was a major transportation route during the Klondike Gold Rush. It is navigable for c.2858km (1775mi) of its 3185km (1980mi) course, but is ice-bound from October to June. The river teems with salmon.