Recreation
and Places to Visit
Recreational facilities,
such as school gymnasiums and outdoor
playgrounds, exist in all communities.
More expensive indoor facilities,
such as swimming pools, are only found
in larger communities. For most northerners
the main recreational activities are
outdoors. Canoeing, hiking, and fishing
are popular summer activities, and
cross-country skiing and ice fishing
are two popular winter sports.
Four national parks
are located in the Northwest Territories.
Aulavik National Park was established
in 1992 and has an area of 12,200
sq km (4,700 sq mi). Wood Buffalo
National Park, which is partly in
Alberta, was established in 1922;
it has an area of 44,807 sq km (17,300
sq mi). Nahanni National Park, established
in 1976, has an area of 4,766 sq km
(1,840 sq mi), and Tuktut Nogait National
Park was established in 1998, with
an area of 16,300 sq km (6,300 sq
mi). Both Nahanni and Wood Buffalo
parks have been designated as World
Heritage Sites. The east arm of Great
Slave Lake has been proposed as a
new national park.
Libraries
and Museums
The towns and cities
of the Northwest Territories have
community libraries and local museums,
and the Aurora College campuses also
have libraries. The Prince of Wales
Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife
has the largest museum and archives
in the territory. Its main collection
focuses on indigenous peoples and
the early history of the territory.
Arts
Canadian artists
and writers living in southern Canada
have written about the Canadian north
for some time, but indigenous peoples
are just beginning to reexamine their
art and literature. Their artistic
expressions often take the form of
rejuvenated traditional art, such
as the dancing and singing of the
Inuvialuit Drum Dancers. Others are
striving to find a place in the larger
Canadian art community. Sponsored
by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation,
the Inuvialuit Drum Dancers perform
locally, regionally, and nationally.
The Great Northern Arts Festival is
held each summer in the territory
and features artists from throughout
northern Canada.
Source: MSN
Encarta: Online Encyclopedia
Conserve
and protect the ecosystems and cultural heritage of
their area. 
