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Nunavut's 25 communities are spread across nearly two million square kilometers almost one fifth of Canada. Its population is about 28,000, 85% of whom are Inuit.

Arctic Bay is also known as Ikpiarjuk, 'the pocket', because of the hills that surround it. The community is connected to the mining town of Nanisivik by a 21 kilometer road.

Arviat can be found on old maps as Eskimo Point. The name Arviat comes from Arviq, Inuktitut for 'bowhead whale'. The community was named for a nearby island that is shaped like a bowhead. The Hudson Bay Company established a trading post at Arviat in the 1920s and a Catholic mission followed shortly thereafter. The area had previously been used by the Pallirmiut Inuit to hunt for seals, walrus and whales.

Baker Lake is also known as Qamani'tuaq, 'big lake joined by a river at both ends'. The two rivers joining Baker Lake are designated Canadian heritage rivers, the Kazan and Thelon Rivers. Baker Lake, the only non-coastal Inuit settlement in Nunavut, has long been known for its fine arts. During the 1950s, artists from Baker Lake pioneered the art of printmaking in the North, achieving global recognition for their skill.

Bathurst Inlet, located at the southern tip of Bathurst Inlet, is also known as Qingaq, which means 'the nose' and refers to a hill behind the community.

Cambridge Bay lies on the shore of the Queen Maud Gulf on the southeastern coast of Victoria Island. Its Inuktitut name is Iqaluktuutiak, 'fair fishing place'. The community is considered the regional center for the Kitikmeot Region.

The community of Cape Dorset lies on the northwest shore of Dorset Island. Cape Dorset is often considered the Inuit art capital for its world famous prints. Its Inuktitut name is Kingait, which means 'tip of the island'.

Chesterfield Inlet is the oldest continuing community in Nunavut. In Inuktitut, Chesterfield Inlet is known as Igluligaarjuk, 'place with few houses'. It is located at the mouth of Chesterfield Inlet and overlooks Fish Bay. The community has a fish plant that processes Arctic char for southern markets.

Clyde River is also known as Kangiqtugaapik, 'nice little inlet'. The town sits on a flood plain and is the contact point for travel into Sam Ford Fiord and other fiords in central Baffin. Clyde River is on Baffin Island's east coast in the shelter of Patricia Bay, off Clyde Inlet.

Gjoa Haven is also known as Uqsuqtuuq, or 'place of plenty blubber', because of the once plentiful seal. The community is one of the fastest growing communities in the Kitikmeot Region. In 1961, its population was estimated at 100. Gjoa Haven is located on the southeastern coast of King William Island on the Northwest Passage.

Canada's most northerly community, Grise Fiord lies on the southern shore of Ellesmere Island in the Far North. Its Inuit name, Aujuittuq, means 'place that never thaws'.

Hall Beach lies on the shore of Foxe Basin. The community was created in 1957 when a Distant Early Warning (DEW) site was established in the area to help monitor Canadian air space. The DEW Line site was later replaced by the North Warning System Radar which is currently used in Hall Beach.

Igloolik is often considered the cultural capital of the Baffin, and Nunavut, because of the cultural continuity that has been preserved in traditions and language. Igloolik is also home to two video production companies, Isuma Productions Inc., which specializes in cultural programming, and a local office of the Nunavut wide Inuit Broadcasting Corporation.

Iqaluit, the largest city in Nunavut, is also the capital of the new territory. Iqaluit, on the mouth of Frobisher Bay, overlooks Koojesse Inlet. Its name means 'place of many Fish'. Iqaluit is the hub of the Baffin, with north bound flights from Ottawa and Montreal. Iqaluit's runway, the longest in the Canadian Arctic, also provides an ideal refueling spot for international flights.

The Kimmirut carving industry is worth approximately $800, 000 to the local economy. The word Kimmirut means 'heel', and the community is named for the rocky outcrop in the shape of a human heel located about 60 metres across the water, facing the community.

Kugluktuk, formerly known as Copper mine, is located on the Copper mine River and the shores of Coronation Gulf on the Arctic Ocean. The final signing of the Nunavut Land Claim took place in Kugluktuk on July 9, 1993. July 9 is now celebrated as Nunavut Day.

Nanisivik was a mining site that operated for 25 years. In the year of 2002, Nansivik closed down. Right now, reclamation is being done in this little mining site. Nanisivik is not corporated as a community.It grew up around the development of the lead/zinc mine. During the summer, fitness enthusiasts ran the Midnight Sun Marathon along the 21 kilometre road to nearby Arctic Bay.

Pangnirtung is also known as the 'place of the bull caribou'. The community lies on the Cumberland Peninsula and is bisected by both Akshayuk and Kingnait Passes, which provide an overland route from Cumberland Sound to Davis Strait. The central part of the peninsula is dominated by the Penny Ice Cap from which many glaciers flow to the sea.

The Inuit name for Pelly Bay is Arviliqjuaq, 'place with lots of bowhead whales'. The English name Pelly Bay is derived from Sir John Pelly, a governor of the Hudson Bay Company. Pelly Bay is located along the coastal mountains of Kugaajjuk.

Pond Inlet is also known as Mittimatalik, the 'place where Mittiima is buried'. Pond Inlet lies on the northern tip of Baffin Island and is surrounded by glaciers and fiords.

Qikiqtarjuaq, formerly known as Broughton Island, sits off the west coast of Baffin Island. Its Inuktitut name means 'big island'. However, Qikiqtarjuaq is only about 16 kilometres long and 12 kilometres wide.

Rankin Inlet, on the western shores of Hudson Bay, is Nunavut's second largest community. Located at the head of Rankin Inlet, about 20km from Hudson Bay, the community of Rankin Inlet developed as a result of nickel mining activity in the area. The Thule people, who built stone weirs to channel Arctic char into shallow water where they could be speared, once used the mouth of the nearby Meliadine River. After the Government of the Northwest Territories moved its regional headquarters to Rankin Inlet, the community began to flourish.

Similar to the South Baffin community of Cape Dorset, Repulse Bay is known for innovative carving. The community led the way in providing some of the North's most famous carvers whose pieces are displayed in museums worldwide.

Resolute is located on the south coast of Cornwallis Island and is Canada's second most northerly community. The Northwest Passage passes directly in front of the community and can be walked during the winter months. Resolute was established after the Canadian government moved Inuit families there from Pond Inlet and the northern Quebec community of Inukjuak.

Sanikiluaq, Nunavut's most southern community, lies on the Belcher Islands in southeastern Hudson Bay. The Belcher Islands area is comprised of about 1,500 islands and is the largest archipelago in Hudson Bay.

Taloyoak refers to a large stone caribou blind traditional used by Inuit to corral and harvest caribou. Taloyoak, previously known as Spence Bay, is located at Stanners Harbor.

The community of Whale Cove sits on the west coast of Hudson Bay, just south of Rankin Inlet. Within the Nunavut electoral structure, Whale Cove and the southern area of the community of Rankin Inlet will become one district comprising of 1,330 people. Whale Cove's Inuktitut name is Tikirarjuaq, 'long point'.