[LordMandeep]

here is an example...


There is a census division over 1,038,839.02 square km in size and it has only 5 people living in it...

10-12% of canada's total land has only 5 people living on it.


thats larger then either Egypt, Venezuela and Turkey...
http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204030&Geo2=PR&Code2=62&Data=Count&SearchText=Baffin,%20Unorganized&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=

[someone123]

Unfortunately it is also experiencing demographic collapse.

Too bad. Imagine how good the skyline would be if it had a million people.

[MTLskyline]

5 people...

There are more people on Antarctica than that.

36 uninhabited dwellings...

Perhaps the Canadian Forces could use this area for training?

[Chicago103]

Where exactly is this territory? I know Baffin is a part of what is now Nunavut but this is refering to a part of Baffin I presume? One other question is that are these "36 dwellings" all concentrated in some small village or are these buildings just scattered all over the place in the middle of nowhere? I wonder why there was such a huge population loss, perhaps it was a village that became abandoned and the other five people were either those that stayed or lived outide the village in the middle of nowhere. It also raises the question of how do you do a census in such isolated places? There could be traditional Inuits without electricity living 100 miles from the nearest civilization and how would the census takers even know about it?

Edit: Looking at the map it must be unincorporated areas only since Iqualit the capital of Nunavet is within that territory and there are a number of other villages in that territory according to the map. One place that did not show up on the map was Alert which is the northernmost settlement not only in Canada but the also the world but from what ive read it is mostly inhabited by non permanent settlers at a research station, maybe the 5 people are the permanent settlers of Alert. The private dwellings might not be uninhabeted but occupied by non-permanent residents.

P.S., the population of 5 is the permanent population of Alert, there are other non-permanent residents at Alert and another research station (Eureka) with no permanent residents are within this census area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baffin%2C_Unorganized

[waterloowarrior]

there's probably not really exactly five people living there, they adjust things to protect people's confidentiality (at least on the DA level, and I'm guessing for a place like this as well)

eg. look at the 2001 data

http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204030&Geo2=PR&Code2=62&Data=Count&SearchText=baffin&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=

[le calmar]

This has to be Ellesmere Island... every other part of Nunavut is inhabited, but Ellesmere Island is sooo empty... The only permanent village I can see is Grise Fjord.

http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/amnord/images/nunavut-map-villages.gif

[Canadian Mind]

we need to expand our population in the north... If the russians can do it, we can. Make it so that 50% of employees at the nearest mine to a village or town must be from that village or town.

[LordMandeep]

5 people in area of 1000km by 1000km...wow

that is what you call urban sprawl..

[Gdoggy]

we need to expand our population in the north... If the russians can do it, we can. Make it so that 50% of employees at the nearest mine to a village or town must be from that village or town.

you volunteering ?

[Wishblade]

we need to expand our population in the north... If the russians can do it, we can. Make it so that 50% of employees at the nearest mine to a village or town must be from that village or town.

It makes a lot more sense to live near the US border or atleast southern Canada than up north for many reasons. I just cannot see the Canadian population ever expanding northward.

[trueviking]

this always puts it in perspective:

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/541/earthlightsdmspbigzp6.jpg

[Xelebes]

you volunteering ?

Build a mallburg and I'd consider it.

[LordMandeep]

wondering why western US is booming so much, its half empty...

[bigcanuck]

Damn - all that ice and they can't even have a game of 3 on 3 hockey!!!!

[Xelebes]

wondering why western US is booming so much, its half empty...


One day, Fargo will have a million people. You heard it here first, folks.

[Wishblade]

wondering why western US is booming so much, its half empty...

wondering why western Canada is booming so much, its half empty :rolleyes:

[raggedy13]

^I don't know, if one didn't know any better they'd think the prairies were the most populated part of Canada with all those lights.

[SpongeG]

we need to expand our population in the north... If the russians can do it, we can. Make it so that 50% of employees at the nearest mine to a village or town must be from that village or town.

people already get a northern allowance for living in the north as an incentive

what might help is forcing people who immigrate to Canada must spend 5 years in the north and they may discover they like it and stay

[Andy6]

That doesn't seem right. Is it maybe that "Baffin Unorganized" is basically defined as everything up there except for the settlements, which are separate districts? In other words, these are just the country folk.

[someone123]

I recently came across an Inuit cookbook with recipes in both English and Inuktitut or some other language.

The recipes were things like:

Boiled Polar Bear Meat

Ingredients

-2 pounds polar bear meat
-1 pound polar bear fat
-4 liters water
-2 cups salt

Directions

Place ingredients in water. Boil. Serves 8.

[Rusty van Reddick]

I recently came across an Inuit cookbook with recipes in both English and Inuktitut or some other language.

The recipes were things like:

Boiled Polar Bear Meat

Ingredients

-2 pounds polar bear meat
-1 pound polar bear fat
-4 liters water
-2 cups salt

Directions

Place ingredients in water. Boil. Serves 8.

Is this John Hodgman's recipe for polar bear steaks?

[aastra]

^I don't know, if one didn't know any better they'd think the prairies were the most populated part of Canada with all those lights.

Using Mexico as a reference we can safely estimate there are about 100 million people living in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/541/earthlightsdmspbigzp6.jpg

[401_King]

i wouldnt even accept 1 billion dollars to move up north and permanently live there.

[CorporateWhore]

man, northern alberta/eastern BC looks REALLY populated in that image. what gives?

[TheMeltyMan]

I don't like the map either ^^. It coaxes us into thinking its a night time satellite shot when its nothing more than yellow dots representing i don't know. Something the Canadian plains have a lot of and Mexico has so few.

[ReginaGuy]

I don't like the map either ^^. It coaxes us into thinking its a night time satellite shot when its nothing more than yellow dots representing i don't know. Something the Canadian plains have a lot of and Mexico has so few.

It is an actual night time satellite shot, well actually, it's a series of shots which were enhanced, but it's still real. All of those dots in Saskatchewan and Alberta are real towns and cities, with real lights, which really show up when you take satellite images.

Sask and Alberta look more populated because the towns and cities are more spread out, compared to other provinces, where the towns are bunched closer together

To prove my point, you get the same effect when you look at the national highway system. Fun fact, Saskatchewan has more km's of road per person than anywhere else in the world
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6497/aaako9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[SmileyBoy]

One day, Fargo will have a million people. You heard it here first, folks.

If wind power starts taking off globally, then yes. Otherwise, not in my lifetime.

[Xelebes]

If wind power starts taking off globally, then yes. Otherwise, not in my lifetime.


You never know!

The price of wheat might skyrocket!

[zoomer]

Yes much of the lights are actually from the highways. Belgium is apparently one of the brightest countries viewed from space not only because of its very high population density, but also it's very brightly lit highways.

Much of BC is virtually empty as well, except for a few pockets (Vancouver, East Coast of Vancouver Island) and smaller cities and towns in the mountain valleys. Except for the north east corner of course it's all very mountainous, except for the valleys, and not suitable for settlement.

[SpongeG]

yeah i think only 6% of BC is really useable

[mattropolis]

The lights in North BC and Alberta are probably flare-offs from natural gas wells.

[204]

we need to expand our population in the north...

Nah, we're too busy trying to make Toronto the next Mexico City.... pack 'em in!

[Thunderball]

wondering why western US is booming so much, its half empty...

A lot of the gap are mountain ranges, and desert. Its the same with Western Canada.

[caltrane74]

That map is cool, Trinidad is pure white. (at least from the satalite image)

Golden Horseshoe is also a solid white band.

[niwell]

Why exactly should we populate our far North? The amount of resources this would take is simply mind boggling. I've lived in Iqaluit for a time and know that a modern lifestyle there is completely unsustainable. You need to ship pretty much everything by air or sea.

Also, I'm not too sure on the geology of Siberia, but we have to contend with the Canadian Shield. I'm not sure that living anywhere where agricultural production is (more or less) out of the question is a good idea. Open spaces aren't really a bad thing.

[Paper Boy]

a) The prairies look more populated because of Brighter city/town lights (more lights being the standard for an equal area)
b) a larger continuously populated area (one or two lights per sq km spead evenly over S Saskatchewan for example - as the land use policy was to divide the province equally into sections when the farmland was literally given away when these areas were settled)
c)Lack of tree cover allows more lights to be captured - with each one spreading it's own light over a greater area

[Epi]

I bet there will be even less private dwellings come the summertime ;)