Nunavik (Inuktitut: ᓄᓇᕕᒃ) is the northernmost part of Northern Quebec. It is the homeland of the Inuit people of Quebec. For thousands of years, the Inuit have lived in this vast Arctic territory.
North of the 55th parallel, Nunavik covers some , larger than the U.S. state of California. Almost all of the 12,090 inhabitants (2011) of the region, of whom 90% are Inuit (the term "Eskimos" is no longer used in Canada), live in 14 northern villages on the coast of Nunavik and in the Cree reserved land of Whapmagoostui, near the northern village of Kuujjuarapik.
Nunavik means "great land" in the local dialect of Inuktitut and the Inuit inhabitants of the region call themselves Nunavimmiut.
The principal village and administrative centre in Nunavik is Kuujjuaq, on the southern shore of Ungava Bay; the other villages are Inukjuak (where the 1922 documentary film Nanook of the North was shot), Salluit, Puvirnituq, Ivujivik, Kangiqsujuaq, Kangiqsualujjuaq, Kangirsuk, Tasiujaq, Aupaluk, Akulivik, Quaqtaq, Kuujjuarapik and Umiujaq.
Negotiations are underway to create a regional government for Nunavik which would provide more autonomy for the Nunavimmiut people.
There are five meteorite craters in Nunavik: Pingualuit crater, Couture crater, La Moinerie crater and the two craters that together form the Clearwater Lakes.
The Nunavimmiut people carve sculptures from soapstone and eat primarily caribou and fish.
The climate of Nunavik is severe. It is dominated by the long and bitterly cold winters as the seas to the west, east and north freeze over. In summer, when the surrounding sea thaws, temperatures remain low. Inukjuak for example has summer highs averaging just 13 °C (55 °F) with January highs of −21 °C (−6 °F). Annual temperatures are up to 15 °C colder than marine areas of Northern Europe on similar parallels.
French, English and Inuktitut (an Inuit language) are widely spoken.
There are no road links between Nunavik and southern Quebec, although the Trans-Taiga Road of the Jamésie region ends near the 55th parallel on the Caniapiscau Reservoir, several hundred kilometers south of Kuujjuaq.
Parts of the interior of southern Nunavik can be reached using several trails which head north from Schefferville.
Canadian North flies to Kuujjuaq from Montreal, Iqaluit and other airports in the north.
Air Inuit has a year-round service from Montreal, Quebec City and Sept-Îles to every village in the region.
There is seasonal shipping in the summer and autumn.
There are no roads, so you will have to fly from village to village on Air Inuit.
Northern Stores and Co-op stores are often the only groceries stores in town. Due to high shipping cost, food is expensive in this part of the country (often double or triple of what you see in major cities). Some of the healthy foods are subsidized by the government so their sticker price is less shocking.
Be prepared for extremely cold weather, snow blindness, and isolation. While clinics with nurses are available in each town, the nearest emergency hospital can be several hours away by plane.