Territory northern
Canada.
Bounded by the Yukon Territory, Hudson
Bay, and Nunavut, it stretches across the
roof of the North American continent,
reaching into the Arctic Circle
The capital is Yellowknife.
It includes many islands, including Victoria
Island; the Mackenzie River; and Great Bear
and Great Slave lakes.
More than half the people are Inuit
(Eskimos) and American Indians.
In the 18th century the mainland was
explored by Samuel Hearne for the Hudson's
Bay Company and by Alexander Mackenzie.
European settlers were mainly whalers,
fur traders, and missionaries until the
1920s, when oil was discovered and the
territorial administration was formed.
Mining is the principal industry and
centers on the petroleum and natural gas
fields in the western Arctic coastal
regions.
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