Paulatuk

Community Name:                   Paulatuk
Traditional/Former Name:    Paulatuuq (place of coal)
Land Claim Area:                      Inuvialuit
Electoral District:                     Nunakput
Member of the Legislative Assembly:  Jackie Jacobson
Member of Parliament:          Dennis Bevington
Senator:                                     Nick G. Sibbeston
Community Leadera:              Mayor Ray Ruben Sr. 
                                        Hamlet of Paulatuk
                                        General Delivery 
                                        Paulatuk, NT  X0E 1N0
                                        Phone:  867-580-3531

Location:  Paulatuk is located at 69'21'N latitude and 124'04'W longitude on Darnley Bay. It is 402 km east of Inuvik and 885 km northwest of Yellowknife.

Population:  312 (2004 Census)

Languages:  Inuvialuktun, English

Access:  The community is accessible by air from Inuvik year round and bulk supplies and food are barged in during the summer months.

History:  Paulatuk was named for the coal that was found and used by the Inuit when they settled there in the early 1920s. Inuit gathered in Letty Harbour (present site of Paulatuk) and 15 years later the Roman Catholic Trading Post opened. The construction of the dew-Line site created a wage economy and subsequently the community flourished however the success of the Trading Post dwindled and the Paulatuk Co-op took over.

Today the Co-op is privately owned and operated but growth in the hamlet is steady. Hunting, fishing and trapping are major economic activities with arts and crafts also being important. Oil and gas exploration in the Beaufort Sea also continues.