Some Northern Demographics

Over a 30 year period we have driven nearly every roadway in the 

Yukon and Northwest Territories and Alaska. 

All three jurisdictions are large but for most travelers much of each is only reachable by road. I realize there are other ways to reach the back-country. In the past, we have completed paddling, hiking and backpacking trips into the Canadian Territories.

This post is an observation on road tripping!

Stock photo

The Canadian territories of Yukon and Northwest and the U.S. state of Alaska share most of the upper northwest corner of North America; all north of the 60th parallel. 

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The Canadian territory of Nunavut shares a border to the east of the NWT and the Canadian province of British Columbia has common borders with Alaska, Yukon and NWT. All three Canadian Territories contain the Arctic Circle and are often referred to (in combination) as the Canadian Arctic. 

Stock photo

Nunavut has very few roads and is not easily accessible. We've only seen a very small corner of the territory. If you are ever given the opportunity to visit, the landscape is amazing!

Alaska, Yukon and NWT (along with Nunavut and BC) share many of the same physical characteristics of topography; perennial white-capped peaks, alpine rivers, snow-melt lakes, vast valleys, abundant wildlife. It's often difficult at times to know which country you are travelling through.

However, demographically a different picture of this vast wilderness region emerges. The Yukon and Northwest Territories combined, when compared with Alaska represent 0.94% of its' landmass, have 1.59 times the number of roadways and about 0.11% of the population. 

Said another way ... these two areas contain the same natural features, however YT and NT combined are almost the same size as AK, have nearly twice the number of drive-able kilometers and only about a tenth of the population ... 

... much the same wilderness but less-developed, more accessible and with fewer people.

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Canada / USA	Landmass Km squared	Roads Kms	Population
Yukon	0,482,443	3761 *	38,897
NWT	1,140,000	3281 *	41,462
Yukon & NWT	1,622,443	7042	80,359
Alaska	1,718,000	4423 *	739,795
YT & NT vs AK	0.94 %	1.59 x	0.11 %

* Link gives source

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I've referred to the following quote in previous published posts; I believe it is also appropriate here.

Richard Nelson, an award winning Alaskan author made the following observation during a canoe trip into Yukons' Peel River watershed. 

"Even after 40 years of travel into the remotest parts of Alaska, I was astounded by the magnitude of wildness and beauty there. This journey took us into one of the largest, most spectacular, pristine wild lands remaining on earth – the Boreal Forest of Canada. For most Americans, Alaska is the purest icon of wilderness. What they know of Canada is shaped almost entirely by the narrow sliver of tamed, cultivated and urbanized land just above the Canadian border. 

Even in these days of growing environmental awareness ... few Americans have any comprehension that they live adjacent to the largest expanse of untrod-den, uncut, undiminished forest anywhere on Earth.  I gradually came to realize that the Canadian Boreal is to Alaska what Alaska is to New Jersey."

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