Geographical names: general information

The majority of names of communities mentioned on this site appear first in English, followed by their Inuit name. When the Inuit name has been officially recognized by the federal government, then it appears first, followed by the English name. Most of the photographs were taken at a time when the non-Aboriginal names were considered the official community names. Today, with the creation of Nunavut, and Aboriginal name recognition initiatives throughout the Arctic, some communities such as Iqaluit and Arviat have officially changed back to their original Inuit names. Although others are in the process of changing back, many still use both names interchangeably. Searches for photographs related to Project Naming can be done using either Inuit or non-Aboriginal community names. The spelling of all Inuit community names is based on the Map of Inuit Communities in Canada, on the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (www.itk.ca/) website, and on the Northern Community Names Changes section of the Canadian Geographical Names (http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e.php) website of Natural Resources Canada.