A little larger than the state of California, the Yukon covers an area of 186,272 square miles (482,443 square kilometers). The territory is shaped like a triangle and shares its western border with Alaska. Most of the Yukon has a subarctic climate with long, cold winters and short, mild summers. Yukoners joke that there are only two seasons in the territory: this winter and last winter! Because the climate is also very dry, snowfall is not usually heavy. The northern portion of the territory, along the Arctic Coast, has an arctic climate and is much colder than the south.
Here are some more interesting facts about Yukon:
- The Yukon is home to the world’s smallest desert. The Carcross Desert is a stretch of sand dunes that covers an area less than 260 hectares (642 acres).
- There are six times as many caribou as people!
- In the summer near the Arctic Circle, it stays light outside so long that Yukoners can read outside at midnight!
- More than two thousand glaciers are found in Kluane National Park, including Lowell Glacier, which is 65 kilometers (40 miles) long.
- Though it has the second-smallest population in the country (after Nunavut), the Yukon is home to the largest First Nations peoples population in Canada. Native peoples make up more than 25% of the population.
- The Yukon has remained home to many of the animals who lived there before Europeans arrived.
Learn more about the Yukon in these resources:
