Northwest Territories April 1, 1999, when the territory was subdivided to create Nunavut to the east, via the "Nunavut Act" and the "Nunavut Land Claims Agreement". While Nunavut is mostly Arctic tundra, the Northwest Territories has a slightly warmer climate and is both boreal forest (taiga), and tundra, and its most northern regions form part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The Northwest Territories is bordered by Canada's two other territories, Nunavut to the east and Yukon to the west, and by the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the south. The name is descriptive, adopted by the British government during
Geography of Nunavut of rare berries, lichens, Arctic Willows, moss, tough grass, and small willow shrubs. , Nunavut has a population of approximately 34,000. In 2006 around 84% of the population were native peoples, primarily Inuit. Nunavut's small and sparse population makes it unlikely the territory will be granted provincial status in the foreseeable future, although this may change if the Yukon, which is only marginally more populous, becomes a province. Geography of Nunavut The Canadian territory of Nunavut covers about 1.9 million square kilometres ( 733,594 sq. miles) of land and water including part of the mainland, most of the Arctic Islands,