Yukon is located in northwestern North America, and borders Alaska (west), British Columbia (south), and Northwest Territories (east). Best known for gold rush of the Klondike region, mining still is an important part of this rough and cold terrain. However, today white-water rafters and fishermen outnumber gold panners. Nearly 300,000 tourists make summer pilgrimages to the Arctic frontier. They find glaciated peaks in Kluane Park is one of the highest-untouched wilderness areas in North America. Natives in the area still hunt caribou and moose. Winter temperatures fall to under -50 degrees and permafrost makes construction costly.

Population & Geography

Total Area: 482,443 sq km / 186,272 sq mi¹

Population: 34,500 (2010)¹

Capital City: Whitehorse

Largest Metro Areas: N/A¹

Economy

GDP: $2.026 billion CAD (2009)¹

GDP per capita: $58,725 CAD (2009)¹

Unemployment Rate: 9.4% (2006)¹

Government

Premier: Dennis Fentie (YP) (2011)²

Legislative Assembly: 10 Yukon Party (including Premier), 5 New Democrats, 2 Liberals, 1 Independent (2011)²

Other Information

Federal Representation: 1 Liberal (2011)³

Origin of Name: From the Locheux native word "Yu-kun-ah" which means "great river." It refers to the Yukon River which flows across the Yukon territory into Alaska.⁴

Sources:

1. Statistics Canada
2. Yukon Legislative Assembly
3. Parliament of Canada
4. Geographical Names of Canada