# This week's geography question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293 "2004-04-21T21:32:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/1 "2004-04-21T21:32:51Z")
1. NW part of area is receives less moisture per year than Sahara Desert. 2. Distance from NW tip to Southern tip is equal to Winnepeg to Mexico City. 3. Many communities still practice drum dancing, though mostly for tourists. 4. Territorial capital translates to “Place of Fish” I did a google search on #4 and I think it’s part of Canada, but not sure if it’s a province or a more generalized area. Any help or confirmation? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/2 "2004-04-21T21:38:46Z")
IQALUIT, NUNAVUT Located at the head of Frobisher Bay, this town (1980) was established in 1949 as Frobisher Bay, when the Hudson’s Bay Company moved its post here from a site 70 km southeast. It became a municipal hamlet in 1971 and a village three years later. In December 1984 its residents voted 310 to 213 to rename the place Iqaluit, meaning “place of fish” in Inuktitut. Source: Rayburn, Alan (1997): Dictionary of Canadian Place Names, Oxford University Press, Toronto, p. 178. New territory of Nunavut. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/3 "2004-04-21T21:55:12Z")
Nunavut is the territory? OK, where is it? I’m guessing in the Yukon or NW Territories. Would it be an area covering both? ---
**Author:** ![libwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/76d3ee/32.png) [@libwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/libwen)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/4 "2004-04-21T22:00:22Z")
Nunavut is a large section of the former NW Territories (the more eastern part) that was split off and, IIRC, is a relatively autonomous territory for the native peoples found in the area. But I’m sure a Canadian could explain better. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/5 "2004-04-21T22:01:37Z")
The NWT split into [Nunavut](http://www.athropolis.com/map-nunavut.htm) and [Bob](http://www.ualberta.ca/~mbeaudoi/Bob.html) in 1999 ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/6 "2004-04-21T22:15:59Z")
Thanks everyone! **Tapioca** I love that link to “Bob” ---
**Author:** ![sciguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sciguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciguy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/7 "2004-04-21T22:16:02Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > The NWT split into [Nunavut](http://www.athropolis.com/map-nunavut.htm) and [Bob](http://www.ualberta.ca/~mbeaudoi/Bob.html) in 1999 I certainly had a strong reaction to that second link, but I’m not entirely sure whether it was “OMG, that’s pretty cool” or “what the F were they thinking”. But based on the maps at atlas.gc.ca it looks like the “leftover” area is still officially just “Northwest Territories”. Right? RIGHT?!? Because if I could ever use “Bob” as my answer to what state/province I live in, I’d move. How’s Canada’s immigration policy? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/8 "2004-04-21T22:20:31Z")
It’s still the NWT. Bob was a brilliant idea though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-weeks-geography-question/241293/9 "2004-04-21T22:32:26Z")
Alas, Bob could only manage second place to NWT when they ran the poll. ☹ From [here](http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/issues/112699/4Features/Features2.shtml) > [@](#): > > The Northwest Territories held a survey open to residents to rename their territory. The present name, “Northwest Territories,” won the battle, claiming over 6,000 votes in a phone poll. > > However, a mere 5,980 votes behind was “Bob” in second place