Shape of the Northwest Territories: A Rectangular North with a Western Notch

Geographic Outline of Canada's NWT

The Northwest Territories spans ~1.14 million km². Its shape is broadly rectangular but with distinctive features:

Boundary Description

• North: Arctic Ocean (Beaufort Sea) + maritime boundary with Nunavut (along 110°W / 120°W meridians through the Arctic Archipelago).
• East: Border with Nunavut (roughly the tree line / 102°W–110°W, following the 1999 division).
• South: 60th parallel north (border with BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan).
• West: Yukon Territory (123°–141°W) + Alaska (USA) along 141°W (the "Alaska Panhandle" notch).

Notable Protrusions

• Mackenzie Delta: Fans northwest into the Beaufort Sea (Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula).
• Sahtu Region: Extends west toward the Mackenzie Mountains (border with Yukon).
• Alaska "notch": The 141°W meridian cuts a straight south-north line, creating a clean western corner.

Visual Analogy

Imagine a rectangle tilted slightly clockwise, with the top-right corner (High Arctic islands) stretching further north, and the bottom-left corner (60°N, 141°W) forming a sharp right angle at the Alaska/Yukon tripoint.