Contingent Profile:

Team Northwest Territories (N.W.T)

The N.W.T is the second largest of the three territories in Canada. The territory extends from the 60th parallel to the North Pole and includes several large islands in the Arctic Ocean. The Yukon Territory is to the west and Arctic Ocean is north. The Nunavut Territory is east, while British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan are south.

Yellowknife is the capital city. It is also known as the Diamond Capital of North America. More than half of the people are aboriginal - Dene, Inuit (Inuvialuit) and Métis.

The first people of the Northwest Territories were the Dene and the Inuit, with communities growing around trading posts. In 1870 the area became Canada’s first territory. In 1999 the former Northwest Territories was divided, creating the new territory of Nunavut.

The N.W.T fl ag depicts Canada’s North. The blue in the flag represents water while the white symbolizes ice and snow. The shield is in the centre of the flag, which became the offi cial fl ag of the N.W.T in 1969.