Whale Cove, Nunavut

Whale Cove
ᑎᑭᕋᕐᔪᐊᖅ
Tikirarjuaq
Whale Cove
Whale Cove
Coordinates: 62°10′15″N 092°34′40″W / 62.17083°N 92.57778°W / 62.17083; -92.57778
CountryCanada
TerritoryNunavut
RegionKivalliq
Electoral districtArviat North-Whale Cove
Government
 • TypeHamlet Council
 • MayorOliver Shipton
 • Senior Administrative OfficerBrian Fleming
 • MLAJohn Main
Area
 (2021)
 • Total
273.89 km2 (105.75 sq mi)
Elevation
40 m (130 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
470
 • Density1.7/km2 (4.4/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−06:00 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−05:00 (CDT)
Canadian Postal code
Area code867
Websitehttp://www.whalecove.ca/

Whale Cove (ᑎᑭᕋᕐᔪᐊᖅ in Inuktitut syllabics) (Tikirarjuaq, meaning "long point"), is a hamlet in the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada, on the western shore of Hudson Bay. It is located 74 km (46 mi) south southwest of Rankin Inlet and 145 km (90 mi) northeast of Arviat.

The community is named for the many beluga whales which congregate off the coast. Many of the inhabitants hunt these whales every fall and use their by-products for their oil and food. Whale Cove, initially settled by three distinct Inuit groups (one inland and two coastal), is a relatively traditional community: 95% Inuit, who wear fur, hunt, fish, eat raw meat and fish. Several bowhead whales may appear in the area as well. Whale Cove is on the polar bear migration route.

Local Inuit regularly travel by snowmobile in the winter or by boat in summer months between the hamlet of Rankin Inlet and Whale Cove, a distance of 100 km (62 mi). The terrain is Arctic tundra, this consists mostly of rocks, mosses and lichens.