NORTHWEST TERRITORIES provides a very clear picture of the Arctic Lowlands.

It is a vast region that covers about a third of Canada. Half of the Northwest Territories is located north of the Arctic Circle. It stretches from the northern boundaries of the Canadian provinces to within 500 miles (800 kilometers) of the North Pole. The region includes the Arctic lowlands, which are home to about 15,900 Canadian Eskimos and about 7,900 northern Indians.

Land and Its Resources

Not one tree grows in the whole District of Franklin, because the average July temperature is below 50. F. (10. C). But colorful flowers bloom abundantly in some places in summer.
The northern part of the district is almost completely uninhabited except where research stations are put up.

District of Mackenzie (527,490 square miles, or 193 square kilometers) lies east of the Yukon .The district has a population of about 31,000.

The rugged Mackenzie Mountains rise along the Yukon. High peaks include Mount Sir James MacBrien (9,062 feet, or 2, 762 meters) and Dome Peak 9,000 feet, or 2,743 meters). East of the Mackenzie Mountains is the Mackenzie Valley, a northward continuation of the Great Plain of North America.

The Mackenzie River is the longest river in Canada. It flows t for 1,071 miles (1,724 kilometers) from Great Slave Lake to the Beaufort Sea. The Franklin Mountains have heights of about 5,000 feet (1,500 meters), along the east bank of the Mackenzie River.

More than half of Mackenzie District is east of the plains region in the rocky Canadian Shield area. Lakes, swamps, and sand plains cover much of this area. Two of the largest lakes in Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake, lie east of the plain of the Mackenzie River.

The District of Keewatin (228,160 square miles, or 590,932 square kilometers) lies east of Mackenzie District, within the Canadian Shield region. Keewatin extends eastward to Quebec and includes all the islands in Hudson, James, and Ungava bays. Keewatin means north wind in the language of the Cree Indians, who once hunted in the region. Most of the District of Keewatin is a rocky plateau called the Barrens. It has little vegetation.

The District of Franklin (549,253 square miles, or 1,422,559 square kilometers) includes the Canadian Arctic islands and the Melville and Boothia peninsulas in the northeast. Large islands near the mainland include Baffin, one of the largest islands in the world; Banks; and Victoria. The Arctic islands, north of Mc-Clure Strait and Lancaster Sound, are known as the Queen Elizabeth Islands. Ellesmere Island, the largest in the group, has a high mountain range, the United States Range. The range's highest peak is 8,584 feet (2,616 meters) above sea level. Baffin and Ellesmere islands have rugged mountains and deep fiords.