Michel Thibert, Nunavut Tourism

Cambridge Bay

Cambridge Bay - largest stop for ships traversing the Northwest Passage.

The community of Cambridge Bay is located on the southeast coast of Victoria Island at the western end of Queen Maud Gulf where it narrows into Dease Strait. In Inuinnaqtun it is called 'Iqaluktuuttiaq' because it is a 'good fishing place.' Cambridge Bay is the centre of government for Kitikmeot, the administrative and transportation hub for this region of Nunavut. It is the largest stop for passenger and research vessels traversing the Northwest Passage.

The hamlet is located close to the Ekalluk River, which is famous for giant char. The Ekalluktogmiut people come from there. The short section of the river that flows from Ferguson Lake to Wellington Bay is called 'Iqaluktuuq' in Inuinnaqtun, meaning 'place of big fish.' Its people are the Iqaluktuurmiut. This ancestral region of Nunavut has been inhabited for 4,000 years. It is rich in archaeological history and blessed with abundant fish, seals, geese, muskoxen and caribou.