Rankin Inlet, Nunavut
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Rankin Inlet (Inuktitut: Kangiqiniq ᑲᖏᕿᓂᖅ or Kangirliniq ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᖅ, meaning deep bay/inlet) is a Inuit hamlet in Nunavut, Canada. It is on the western Hudson Bay and is the regional centre for the Kivalliq Region.
The town was founded by the owners of the Rankin Inlet Mine, which produced nickel and copper ores there between 1957 and 1962 from an underground operation. The mine was the first case of Inuit miners in Canada. Since the mine closed several attempts to develop an alternate source of income for the town were unsuccessful. One of the oddest was a pig ranch which failed because polar bears were fairly successful at absconding with the pigs, and because the pork tasted of fish -- the pigs' primary diet.
The population was 2,058 as of the 1996 census and 2,177 as of the 2001 Census. The hamlet has a land area of 20.24 km² (7.8 sq mi). [link] Statistics Canada
The community is served by the Rankin Inlet Airport, and by annual supply sea-lift. The senator for Nunavut has proposed that a billion-dollar highway be built from Churchill, Manitoba.
In the 1995 Nunavut Capital Plebiscite, Iqaluit defeated Rankin Inlet to become territorial capital of Nunavut.
Current National Hockey League player Jordin Tootoo is perhaps the most well-known person to come from Rankin Inlet.
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