Online Canadian Citizenship Quiz - Northwest Territories 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the capital of the Northwest Territories?
- Inuvik
- Hay River
- Fort Smith
- Yellowknife (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Yellowknife
Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories. Known as the "Diamond Capital of North America," it sits on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake.
Question 2: What is the Northwest Territories known as the "Diamond Capital of North America"?
- Because it was the first territory to have a diamond jubilee celebration
- Because it contains some of the world's richest diamond mines, including Ekati and Diavik, discovered in the 1990s (Correct answer)
- Because its rivers are known for producing unusually large river diamonds
- Because Yellowknife was built entirely by diamond mining companies
Correct answer: Because it contains some of the world's richest diamond mines, including Ekati and Diavik, discovered in the 1990s
Diamond deposits discovered near Lac de Gras in the 1990s transformed the NWT's economy. Major mines like Ekati (1998) and Diavik (2003) made the NWT one of the world's top diamond producers by value.
Question 3: The Northwest Territories is governed by a unique system called "consensus government." What does this mean?
- All legislation must be approved by all 19 MLAs before it can be passed
- There are no political parties; all Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected as independents, and the Premier and Cabinet are chosen by and accountable to all MLAs (Correct answer)
- A council of Indigenous elders holds veto power over territorial legislation
- Decisions are made through town hall votes open to all residents
Correct answer: There are no political parties; all Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected as independents, and the Premier and Cabinet are chosen by and accountable to all MLAs
The NWT uses a consensus (non-partisan) model of government. MLAs are elected as independents with no party affiliation. All MLAs collectively choose the Premier and Cabinet, and all members participate in governing rather than dividing into government and opposition parties.
Question 4: Which Indigenous group has land rights over much of the Mackenzie Delta and western Arctic coast in the NWT?
- The Métis Nation NWT
- The Inuvialuit — the western Arctic Inuit who signed the Inuvialuit Final Agreement in 1984 (Correct answer)
- The Dene Nation exclusively
- The Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib) people
Correct answer: The Inuvialuit — the western Arctic Inuit who signed the Inuvialuit Final Agreement in 1984
The Inuvialuit are the western Arctic Inuit of the NWT's Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea region. They signed the Inuvialuit Final Agreement in 1984 — one of Canada's first comprehensive land claims settlements — securing land rights and self-governance.
Question 5: The Mackenzie River is Canada's longest river system. Where does it flow and empty?
- It flows west across British Columbia, emptying into the Pacific Ocean
- It flows northwest across the NWT, emptying into the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean) near Inuvik (Correct answer)
- It flows north through Nunavut, emptying into Hudson Bay
- It flows east across northern Quebec, emptying into Ungava Bay
Correct answer: It flows northwest across the NWT, emptying into the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean) near Inuvik
The Mackenzie River flows approximately 4,241 km from Great Slave Lake northwest across the NWT to the Mackenzie Delta near Inuvik, where it empties into the Beaufort Sea. It is the second-longest river system in North America after the Mississippi-Missouri.
Question 6: What is the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), and why is the NWT a prime viewing location?
- A meteorological phenomenon involving extreme blizzards in the Arctic
- A natural light display in the night sky caused by solar particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere; the NWT sits directly under the auroral oval, providing frequent and spectacular displays (Correct answer)
- An Indigenous cultural festival held in Yellowknife each February
- A type of polar mirage visible only in the Arctic winter months
Correct answer: A natural light display in the night sky caused by solar particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere; the NWT sits directly under the auroral oval, providing frequent and spectacular displays
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is a natural phenomenon caused by charged solar particles colliding with Earth's magnetosphere. The NWT, particularly Yellowknife, sits directly under the auroral oval, making it one of the world's best locations to view them.
Online Canadian Citizenship Quiz - Northwest Territories 3
What is the capital of the Northwest Territories?