POPULATION

A 1996 census recorded 30,766 people living in the Yukon Territory. English is the first language of approximately 88 percent of the people living in the region. French is spoken as first language of less than 3 percent of the population. Over one-half of the population lives in urban areas and the rest live in rural areas.

Many people participate in the Artic Winter Games. The games began in 1970 and offer athletes from Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alaska, Northern Russia, and Greenland opportunities to compete in the north. The games also give athletes experience and training. As well as regular sports, the AWG has traditional Indian and Inuit sports, such as the blanket toss and ear pulling contests. The games are rotated between Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alaska, and Northern Alberta.