The vastness of Canada 's Northwest Territories (spelled 'North-West Territories' from 1870 to 1906 ) meant that for much of its history it was divided into several districts for ease of administration. The number and size of these territorial districts varied as other provinces and territories of Canada were created and expanded. The districts of the Northwest Territories were abolished in 1999 with the creation of the Nunavut territory and the contraction of the Northwest Territories to its current size.
14-778: The District of Alberta was one of four districts of the Northwest Territories created in 1882. It was styled the Alberta Provisional District to distinguish it from the District of Keewatin which had a more autonomous relationship from the NWT administration. The modern province of Alberta was created in 1905 from the District of Alberta and parts of the Districts of Athabasca , Assiniboia and Saskatchewan . The boundaries of
28-551: A large area of 590,932 km (228,160 sq mi), between Manitoba and Ontario and along the entire west coast of Hudson Bay , was established by Canada as a territory named the District of Keewatin . This autonomous territory is not to be confused with the 'districts' which would later be created within the North-West Territories. In 1880, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was ceded to Canada by
42-557: Is effectively co-governed by the territorial government and indigenous government. A treaty also exists with the Salt River First Nation , but it establishes reserves rather than a joint land use area. Nihtat Gwichʼin (Inuvik) Statistics Canada divides the territory into six census divisions . These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own. They are listed below with their most populous municipality on
56-528: The North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company . That same year, a small piece of Rupert's Land was formed into the province of Manitoba , but the rest of the area was merged and renamed the North-West Territories. This region included the vast bulk of Canada's present day landmass and covered an area about the size of western Europe . In 1876, the North-West Territories contracted in size when
70-464: The United Kingdom and this land was added to the North-West Territories. As the southern part of the North-West Territories became populated, four districts were created in 1882 for ease of administration; unlike Keewatin, these areas remained a part of the North-West Territories, and thus were formally called provisional districts : The southwestern border of the autonomous District of Keewatin
84-637: The Districts of Franklin, Mackenzie and Keewatin continued to appear on many maps (and continued to exist), by the 1980s the practical governance of the Northwest Territories was divided into four administrative regions : Inuvik , Fort Smith , Keewatin and Baffin . A fifth region, the Central Arctic Region, subsequently called the Kitikmeot , was later carved out of the Fort Smith Region. In 1999,
98-511: The Districts of Franklin, Mackenzie and Keewatin. Ungava remained a district until 1920, but with no population to administer, this district designation was effectively unused after 1912. The three remaining districts continued to be used for a number of decades, but as control over the territory was moved from departments of the federal government to a centralized government in Yellowknife starting in 1967, they began to have far less use. Although
112-469: The Northwest Territories was reduced to its current size - and the notion of the 'districts' was abolished - with the creation of the territory of Nunavut . The former District of Keewatin, most of the Arctic Islands of the District of Franklin, and a northeast portion of the District of Mackenzie now form Nunavut , with the remainder of Franklin and the majority of Mackenzie forming the current version of
126-583: The Northwest Territories. List of regions of the Northwest Territories The Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories is subdivided into administrative regions in different ways for various purposes. The Government of the Northwest Territory's Department of Municipal and Community Affairs divides the territory into five regions. Other services have adopted similar divisions for administrative purposes, making these
140-681: The autonomous District of Keewatin, were added to the District of Franklin. The North-West Territories shrunk in 1898 when the Klondike Gold Rush necessitated the conversion of the District of Yukon into the autonomous Yukon Territory. Also, the southernmost part of Ungava was ceded to Quebec. The eastern border of Yukon Territory was slightly adjusted, thus exchanging some area with the North-West Territories. The North-West Territories experienced significant adjustments between 1905 and 1906: The Northwest Territories experienced further attrition in 1912: The Northwest Territories now consisted of
154-582: The de facto regions of the territory. These divisions have no government of their own, but the Northwest Territories' government services are decentralized on a regional basis. Some government departments make slight changes to this arrangement. For example, the Health and Social Services Authority groups Fort Resolution with the North Slave Region, and divides South Slave Region into two regions: Hay River and Fort Smith. The Department of Natural Resources uses
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#1732858955083168-494: The district were: The District of Alberta was used as a federal riding from 1887 to 1908. 51°48′N 113°24′W / 51.80°N 113.40°W / 51.80; -113.40 Districts of the Northwest Territories The North-West Territories were administered as a single entity, with no districts, from 1870 to 1882. In 1870, Canada gained control of Rupert's Land and
182-527: The same borders, but calls the Inuvik Region "Beaufort Delta". Land and self-government treaties with First Nations , Inuvialuit ( Inuit ), and Métis groups recognise a significant amount of authority for their governments to manage land use within agreed-upon areas. These areas are each much larger than the area fully owned by the indigenous government. Within each of these areas, the indigenous nation has jurisdiction over several areas of law, and land use
196-424: Was adjusted to conform to the boundaries of the District of Saskatchewan. In 1895, the northern portion of the North-West Territories was divided into four more internal districts for ease of administration: Southampton Island , Coats Island , Akimiski Island , and other islands were ceded to the autonomous District of Keewatin, whereas Boothia Peninsula and Melville Peninsula , which were previously part of
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