Northwest Territories

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
People
- Population composition
- Settlement patterns
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing
- Resources and power
- Services and labour
- Transportation
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Health and education
Cultural life
History

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

Political map of the Northwest Territories in northern Canada, showing major cities, towns, and political subdivision boundaries. The map highlights key locations such as Yellowknife (the capital), Inuvik, Fort Smith, and Tuktoyaktuk, as well as neighboring regions including Yukon, Nunavut, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Alaska. An inset locator map in the bottom left corner shows the position of the Northwest Territories within Canada.

Map of the Northwest Territories in northern Canada showing major physical features such as rivers, lakes, islands, peninsulas, and mountain ranges. The map includes boundaries with Alaska, Yukon, Nunavut, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as well as the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea to the north. Key features labeled include Mackenzie River, Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Victoria Island, Banks Island, and Nahanni National Park. A small locator map in the bottom left hi

A woman in winter clothing rides a sled pulled by four dogs across a snowy trail on Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, with trees and distant shoreline in the background.

At a Glance

Northwest Territories summary

Related Questions

How are members of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly elected?
How cold are winters in Yellowknife on average?
How did Sir John Franklin contribute to mapping the northern Canadian coastline?
How did the Northwest Territories lose much of its original area before 1912?
How did the fur trade change the Dene economy in the Mackenzie region?
How do plants survive in the Arctic tundra of the Northwest Territories?
How do summer temperatures in the Arctic parts of the Northwest Territories compare with those in the Mackenzie Lowlands?
How does consensus government work in the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly?
How does the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre preserve the heritage of the Northwest Territories?
How does the landscape differ on each side of the Northwest Territories timberline?
How high is the tallest peak in the Northwest Territories?
How is the commissioner of the Northwest Territories chosen?
How large is the Northwest Territories in square kilometres and square miles?
How long is the growing season in much of the Mackenzie Lowlands?
How were traditional Dene bands organized before the fur trade?
When and where were diamonds first discovered in the Northwest Territories?
When did the Canadian government make treaties with Dene groups south of Great Slave Lake?
Where does the timberline run across the Northwest Territories?
Which Canadian provinces and territories border the Northwest Territories?
Which Indigenous peoples make up a large part of the Northwest Territories population?
Which animals are common along the Arctic coasts of the Northwest Territories?
Which animals live in the barren lands north and east of the Northwest Territories timberline?
Which city serves as the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories?
Which crops can be grown in the Mackenzie Lowlands during the short growing season?
Which islands are divided between the Northwest Territories and Nunavut?
Which minerals have been mined in the Northwest Territories?
Which organizations controlled Rupert’s Land and the North-Western Territory before Canada took control in 1870?
Which two large lakes lie along the western edge of the Canadian Shield in the Northwest Territories?
Which types of trees grow in the Mackenzie Lowlands?
Who explored from Hudson Bay to the mouth of the Coppermine River between 1770 and 1772?
Why are mosquitoes plentiful in the Northwest Territories during summer?
Why are the Mackenzie Lowlands among the most favourable areas for settlement in the Northwest Territories?
Why did the Canadian government establish a territorial administration in the 1920s?
Why did the Canadian government protect musk oxen in the early 20th century?
Why does permafrost make construction difficult in the Northwest Territories?
Why is developing oil and mineral resources difficult in the Northwest Territories?
What led to the War of 1812?
How did the War of 1812 end?
Did the War of 1812 have popular support?
What role did Native Americans play in the War of 1812?
What were the War of 1812’s lasting effects?
What is Alberta?
Where is Alberta located?
Why is Alberta holding an independence referendum?
How did Alberta become a province?
How do oil and gas affect Alberta’s economy?

Geography & Travel States & Other Subdivisions

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External Websites

Official Tourism Site of Northwest Territories, Canada
Official Site of Government of Northwest Territories, Canada
The Canadian Encyclopedia - Northwest Territories, Canada

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Northwest Territories - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Northwest Territories - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Northwest Territories

territory, Canada

Written by

Kenneth John Rea

Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Toronto. Author of The Political Economy of the Canadian North and others.

Kenneth John Rea

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026 •History

Northwest Territories, region of northern and northwestern Canada encompassing a vast area of forests and tundra. Throughout most of the 20th century, the territories constituted more than one-third of the area of Canada and reached almost from the eastern to the western extremities of the country, across the roof of the North American continent. The creation in 1999 of the territory of Nunavut out of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territories reduced the area...

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