Yukon Territory

Yukon Territory, subarctic territory in northwestern Canada. Covering 207,076 sq mi (536,327 sq km), the Yukon is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Northwest Territories to the east, British Columbia and Alaska to the south, and Alaska to the west.

Land and climate

The mountainous Yukon Territory includes the Rocky Mountains and, in the southwest, the St. Elias Range. The latter includes Canada's highest mountain, Mount Logan (19,850 ft/ 6,050 m). The territory has 8 other peaks over 15,000 ft (4,572 m) high. A large central basin, or plateau, is heavily forested. The Yukon River drains over one-half the region and is navigable for about 1,770 mi (2,848 km). The inhabited valleys and plateaus of the Yukon have a subarctic climate with long, cold winters and summers about 4 months long, winter temperatures can drop as low as −50°F/−°58C.

People

The Yukon is the original home of about 2,500 Native Americans, who live principally as trappers and hunters. The majority of the territory's population is concentrated in the warmer southern and central valleys. Whitehorse, the largest city, has been the capital since 1956.

Economy

Mining, the Yukon's principal industry, centers on the production of silver, lead, gold, and zinc, and provides jobs for most of the territory's inhabitants. During the 1960s, mining operations expanded to include the production of copper and asbestos; potential reserves of oil and iron ore remain to be developed.

History

The Yukon territory was first explored by the fur traders Robert Campbell and John Bell of the Hudson's Bay Company between 1840 and 1848. Canada acquired the territory from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870. In the 1860s and 1870s prospectors began mining gold in the area. In 1897 the famous Klondike gold rush began after gold was discovered in several tributaries of the Klondike River. Between 1897 and 1904, an estimated $100 million worth of gold was obtained from deposits in the region. In 1898 the Yukon achieved separate territorial status, but the mines were soon depleted and between 1901 and 1911 the population dropped from 27,219 to 8,512. The decline of the territory was arrested during World War II. The construction of airports on the staging route to Alaska, and the Alaska Highway, brought a new influx of people to the Yukon. Since then, the expansion of mining and new transportation facilities has brought a slow but steady increase in growth to the territory.

See also: Canada.