Tsiigehtchic (officially the Charter Community of Tsiigehtchic) is a Gwich’in

Gwich’in

The Gwich’in , literally "one who dwells" or "resident of [a region]", are a First Nations/Alaska Native people who live in the northwestern part of North America mostly above the Arctic Circle...

 community located at the confluence of the Mackenzie

Mackenzie River

The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...

 and the Arctic Red River

Arctic Red River

The Arctic Red River is the name of a tributary to the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories, Canada.In 1993 the river was designated as part of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System. It was also the name of a community on the Mackenzie where the river joins, now known as Tsiigehtchic...

, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The community was formerly known as Arctic Red River, until 1 April 1994.

Population is 175 according to the 2006 Census

Canada 2006 Census

The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...

. In 2009 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 136 with an average yearly growth rate of -1.6 from 1996.

The Dempster Highway

Dempster Highway

The Dempster Highway, also referred to as Yukon Highway 5 and Northwest Territories Highway 8, is a highway that connects the Klondike Highway in Yukon, Canada to Inuvik, Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie River delta...

, NWT Highway 8, crosses the Mackenzie River at Tsiigehtchic.
During winter vehicle traffic is over the ice, during the rest of the year, traffic is carried by the ferry MV Louis Cardinal

MV Louis Cardinal

The MV Louis Cardinal is a Canadian ferry on the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories.The vessel was built in 1972.The Louis Cardinal currently serves the community of Tsiigehtchic, at the confluence of the Mackenzie River and the Arctic Red River.The ferry has three stops, on the eastern...

.

The ferry stops at Tsiigehtchic, on the western shore of the Arctic Red River, and on the western and eastern shores of the Mackenzie River, connecting the two legs of the Dempster Highway. The community is one of the few in the NWT not to be served by a permanent airport.

External links

• Tsiigehtchic at the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute