Baffin Island: Iqaluit
Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut and the largest city in the entire province. That is also the ONLY “city” in the province with a “massive” population of about 7,000 people. It is located at the end of the Frobisher Bay and literally means “Place of Fish” in Inuktitut language (abundant arctic char, as well as seals, beluga, and narwhals). It’s not the most glamorous and awe-inspiring city by a long shot to be honest – a couple of unpaved streets and colorful houses in otherwise bleak and freezing environs. Interesting architecture includes windowless futuristic school and a church that resembles an igloo. A lot of carved stone monuments grace the streets – as one resident said “we got a lot of rocks and a lot of free time”. The “country food” store carries local Inuit delicacies – beluga blubber, narwhal, whale, seal, and even polar bear meat (the latter was actually sold out).
