Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Aiports north of sixty


Photo: Whitehorse Airport by explorenorth.com

Canada is an enormous territory bordered by three oceans. The Canadian Arctic includes some of the world's largest and most thinly populated islands. Obviously, air travel is essential for a country this size, and the nation has hundreds of airports. Many of these are "north of sixty," that is, the sixtieth parallel of latitude, also known as the Arctic Circle.

Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon, lies at 60.7161 degrees North latitude. The capital of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, is at 62 degrees North.

Freddie Carmichael Airport in Aklavik, on the huge delta of the Mackenzie River, and Gjoa Haven Airport in Nunavut lie at 68 degrees North. Roald Amundsen stopped here with his ship the Gjoa on his journey of discovery of the Northwest Passage, Visitors to Gjoa Haven can stay at the Amundsen Hotel.

Photo right wikimedia commons: Yellowknife Airport, with its polar bear and inukshuk, reflects the geography and culture of the Far North. 

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