2.2 Regional Setting

Management Plan

2.2 Regional Setting

Aulavik, which means "place where people travel" in the native language of Inuvialuktun, is located on northern Banks Island in the Northwest Territories. Locally, the island is also referred to as Banksland. Banks Island is the most westerly island in the Canadian Arctic archipelago. The park encompasses 12,275 square km of the Western Arctic Lowlands natural region.

Sachs Harbour, NWT, (population 140) is the closest community, located 250 km from the southern park boundary. Services in town include an airport, nursing station, a general store, several guest houses, and independent tour and sport hunting guiding operations. Residents of Sachs Harbour have a long tradition of use of the park area, and continue to travel to the park area for hunting purposes. Travel to the park by snowmobile takes approximately two days.

The Town of Inuvik, located about 500 km to the south west of Sachs Harbour in the Mackenzie Delta, is the closest major service centre to Banks Island. Scheduled flights link Sachs Harbour to Inuvik.