The word Yukon is derived from the native word 'Yu-Kun-ah', meaning “Great River”.
Yukon is the smallest of all Canadian Territories and is situated in the westernmost part of Canada. The current population of Yukon is 40,962, which is the smallest population for any territory or province in Canada.
The capital of Yukon is Whitehorse, the only city in the territory, and the largest city of all three territories.
75% of the total Yukon population resides in Whitehorse.
Yukon is bordered by British Columbia, Alaska, and the Northwest Territories.
Yukon is a great place to study, live and work, due to its welcoming, friendly people, educated workforce, low unemployment rates, strong economy, and plethora of outdoor activities and beautiful landscapes.
Yukon was formed in 1898, originally known as 'Yukon Territory', when the land area was split from the Northwest Territories. Since 2002, Yukon Territory was abbreviated to just 'Yukon'.
Yukon is a bilingual territory, with English and French being the official languages. Several First Nations languages are also spoken in Yukon.
Yukon has a total land area of 474,712.64 square kilometers.
Demography
As of 2019, the population of Yukon is just under 41,000 people. Almost two-thirds of the total population resides in Whitehorse. Yukon is multicultural, with residents originating from different parts of the world, mainly from Asia, as well as one-fourth of First Nations people.
The most common countries of birth in Yukon is United Kingdom (15%), Philippines (15%), United States (13.2%), and the rest are Canadian born residents and Aboriginal people.
English and French are the two most common languages, and are the only languages accepted in terms of laws, court proceedings, and legislative assembly proceedings.
Almost 50% of the total population is reported to have no religious affiliations, while Christianity was the most common religion, broken down by Catholics (39.6%), Anglicans (17.8%), and the United Church of Canada (9.6%).
Geography
Yukon is the smallest and westernmost territory in Canada and represents a right triangle shape. Yukon borders Alaska to the west, Northwest territories to the East, and British Columbia to the south.
The highest point in Yukon is Mount Logan, at 5,959 m (19,551 ft), located within the Kluane National Park and Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mount Logan is the highest mountain in Canada, and the second highest in North America.
Other national parks in the territory includes Ivvavik National Park, and Vuntut National Park.
Significant river systems in Yukon includes the Yukon River, Liard River, Pelly, Stewart, Peel, White, and Tatshenshini Rivers.
South of Yukon is made up of a large number of narrow, glacier alpine lakes, most of which flows into the Yukon river.
The largest lakes in the territory is Teslin Lake, Kluane Lake, Atlin Lake, Tagish Lake, Marsh Lake, Lake Laberge, and Kusawa lake.
Primary tree species found with the territory is Black Spruce, and White Spruce.
With a total land area of 482,443 square kilometers, Yukon represents about 4.8% of Canada's total land mass, and is roughly the size of Spain.
Culture
The culture of Yukon incorporates aspects of modern cultures, mixed with traditional First Nation communities that existed over 150 years ago.
There are eight aboriginal native groups still active within the territory today, with the First Nations culture having a strong influence on the territory.
The aboriginal culture is also reflected in popular winter sports in the province, such as the Yukon Quest sled dog race, among other unique cultural and sporting events, that attract tourists, artists and residents each year.
Yukon hosts several annual festivals, including Adaka Cultural Festival, Dawson City Music Festival, Yukon International storytelling festival, Yukon Quest dog sled race, Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous, and the Klondike Rush Memorials.
Strong cultural influences of the Yukon territory is the legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800's, which inspired several contemporary writers, such as Jack London, Robert. W. Service, and Jules Verne.
Climate
Compared to arctic standards, the average winter temperature in Yukon is mild. However, during extreme cold snaps, no other region in North America gets as cold as Yukon. On occasion, the temperature has dropped as low as - 60 degrees Celsius.
Extreme periods of heat occur during the months of May and June, with temperatures rising as high as 36 degrees Celsius.
Average summer temperatures (June – August) is between 9 – 23 degrees Celsius, while winter (December – February) temperature averages around -11 to -34 degrees Celsius.
Healthcare
International students in Yukon should apply for health insurance coverage, to cover the duration of their stay in the territory. You can apply for Yukon Health Care insurance plan, which covers basic medical costs like Physician, hospital services, and certain dental-surgical procedures.
You need to ensure that you always carry your Yukon Healthcare card to present to the hospital, physician or doctor, before you can receive any kind of medical treatment.
The Yukon Health Care coverage usually comes into effect after you have been living in Yukon for at least 3 months.
University Education
Yukon has one post-secondary institution, Yukon College, located in Whitehorse. The college enrols about 1,000 full-time students, and 3,000 part time students.
Yukon College is within Canada's top 50 Research colleges, and contributes significantly to the prosperity of the region, through its inclusive research and education.
The college issues certificates, diploma, and degrees in sciences, arts, renewable resource management, northern studies, computer studies, business administration, office administration, tourism, culinary arts, and environmental officer training.
Yukon College also offers programs for apprentice-level and pre- employment training.
Prior to the establishment of Yukon College in 1983, the Whitehorse Vocational Training School, opened in 1963, focused on teaching skills, allowing adults to gain adequate employment opportunities.
In 2007, The Yukon School of Visual Arts was established, as part of the Yukon College, to provide foundation year programs on Fine Arts and Design.
The economy of Yukon is based primarily on natural resources. Mining is the largest industry in the territory, accounting for over 30% of the territory's economy.
Business and administration is another significant contributor to the Yukon economy, with the government acting as a primary source of economic activity in the Yukon capital; Whitehorse, accounting for 20% of the total employment in Yukon.
Tourism is another key sector of the Yukon economy with a large number of growing jobs in this sector.
Agriculture contributes marginally to the Yukon economy, through produce sales and supply to local markets. A majority of the lands used for agricultural purposes is located within 100 kms to Whitehorse. More than half of the developed land is crops, and the balance used for pasture or grazing purposes.
At present, Hydro has been the primary energy source, together with diesel combustion sources and wind energy. Yukon also has three active natural gas wells. The territory uses solar energy for generating electricity, hot water, and space heating.
Due to Yukon's beautiful landscapes, snowy backdrops, and endless days of sunshine, it has become a popular destination for the film industry, with several of its landscapes used as backdrops for many Hollywood film productions, documentaries, commercials and live animation series.
The sound recording facilities in Yukon are excellent, and has produced many award-winning, platinum record artists.
Fishing industry is also a thriving industry in the province, due to its many freshwater lakes, and diverse fish varieties, from whitefish, salmon, game fish, trout, and more.
Forestry is another substantial industry, with more than half the land covered by the boreal forest, comprising of White spruce, Black spruce, Lodgepole pine, Alpine fir, Aspen, and Balsam poplar.
Although Yukon was formerly known for mining Gold, it has shifted in recent years to include lead/zinc, silver, coal, and iron ore.
With close to 325,000 visitors to the territory each year, Tourism is one of the growing economic sectors in Yukon and can be divided into five broad categories; transportation, accommodation, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment, and travel services.
Fur trade is one of the oldest, and most important sources of winter revenue in the territory. Over 10 fur-bearing mammals call Yukon 'home', including the Beaver, Coyote, Fisher, Coloured Fox, Arctic Fox, Lynx, Marten, Mink, Muskrat, Otter, Squirrel, Weasel, Wolf, and Wolverine.
