Yukon Trivia and Information
What's the weather like in the Yukon?
How good in the fishing in the Yukon?
Interesting Yukon Facts
Geographic Size: 483, 450 km2 ( Larger than the state of California)
Population: approximately 31, 000 ( 2007 census)
Population Density: One person for every 15.6 km2
Territorial Bird: The Raven
Territorial Flower : Fireweed
Education: The Yukon has the highest Canadian per capita concentration of citizens with Masters and Doctorate levels of education
Income: The Yukon has the third-highest average income in Canada behind first-place Nunavut and second place Northwest Territories.
The Yukon River : Is 3250 km (2200 miles) long, making it the fourth largest in North America.
Yukon's Mountains: The Yukon is home to the St. Elias Mountains and Mount Logan, which at 5959 m (19,551 ft) is the tallest mountain in Canada. More than 20 mountains reach over 4200 m (14,000) the largest concentration of 14,000 ft and taller mountains in North America. The Yukon is Canada's most mountainous region, having mountain systems covering the majority of its surface area.
Glaciers: Kluane National Park of Canada and the adjacent Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska comprise the largest sub-polar ice-fields in the world.
Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights): The aurora lights are created when charged particles emitted from explosions on the surface of the sun are drawn into the earth's upper atmosphere by the magnetic pull at the poles. The Yukon is blessed with displays of the aurora, but they are best seen in fall and winter, when the nights are long.
The Midnight Sun: The "land of the midnight sun" is a common nickname for the Yukon and the far north in general. The phenomenon is created by the tilt of the earth. The Yukon Territory lies entirely north of the 60th parallel of latitude. As the northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun in summer, any place north of the 66 parallel (the arctic circle) will receive at least one day, when the sun never sets. The farther north of 66 degrees you are the more days of 24 hour light you will receive. Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, being just north of the 60th parallel does not receive 24 hours of light, however on the longest days of the year, at summer solstice, the sun is still in the sky when the clock strikes midnight, and the sun only sets for a short period of time in the wee hours of the morning, before it rises again. As you travel farther north is the Yukon, such as to Dawson City you will distinctly see that the intensity of the night-time light is even greater.
24-Hour Darkness: A land of 24-hour darkness is a common notion of the Yukon which is not entirely true. The phenomenon is created by the tilt of the earth. The Yukon Territory lies entirely north of the 60th parallel of latitude. As the northern hemisphere tilts away from the sun in winter, any place north of the 66th parallel (the arctic circle) will experience at least one day, when the sun never rises. The farther north of 66 degrees you are the more days of 24 hour darkness you will receive. Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, being only just north of the 60th parallel does not receive 24 hours of darkness at any time during the year, however on the shortest days of the year, at winter solstice, the sun only climbs above the horizon for a few hours, and then darkness returns to the land. As you travel farther north in the Yukon, such as to Dawson City you will distinctly experience even less light during winter. The fly-in community of Old Crow, is the only Yukon town north of the Arctic Circle and is therefore the only community that experiences 24 hour darkness, which occurs at the end of December.
