Resolute, also known as Resolute Bay (Inuktitut: ᖃᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ, romanized: Qausuittuq, lit. 'place with no dawn'), is an Inuit hamlet located on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. This northernmost community is nestled at the end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage, forming part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region.
Resolute is one of the coldest inhabited places globally, with an average yearly temperature of −15.7 °C (3.7 °F). The terrain and roads are primarily gravel, typical of most northern communities. Resolute is also the closest transit location to Devon Island, the world's largest uninhabited island, and home to the most well-preserved crater on Earth - the Haughton impact crater, formed about 31 million years ago.
According to the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Resolute had a population of 183 living in 66 of its 89 total private dwellings, a change of -7.6% from its 2016 population of 198. With a land area of 115.02 km2 (44.41 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.6/km2 (4.1/sq mi) in 2021.
The area shows evidence of being sporadically occupied by the Dorset culture (Tuniit) and later the Thule people from as early as 1500 BCE until 1000 CE. However, modern Inuit did not occupy or use the area until the 1953 High Arctic relocation. The community of Resolute got its start in 1953 as part of the High Arctic relocation, named after the Arctic exploration vessel HMS Resolute.
The Tudjaat Co-op, part of the Arctic Co-operatives, runs a grocery/retail store. The town has two hotels – South Camp Inn, and the Airport Hotel (Narwhal), which are operated by Atco Frontec Ltd. Other facilities include a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment, a school, and a gym. There is also a remote campus of Nunavut Arctic College.
The community has been served by the Qiniq network since 2005. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSi Canada. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.
On August 8, 2007, CBC News reported that Canadian Armed Forces documents showed plans to build an army training centre in the community along with a $60 million deep water port at Nanisivik 370 km (230 mi) to the southeast.
The government of Canada has several buildings around the community; namely, the Martin Bergmann Complex, named for Martin Bergmann, which houses the Polar Continental Shelf Program from Natural Resources Canada, enabling Arctic Science Research.
Resolute has a tundra climate or ET, a polar climate sub-type under the Köppen climate classification, with long cold winters and short cool summers. The average high for the year is −12.7 °C (9.1 °F) while the average low for the year is −18.6 °C (−1.5 °F).
Although not as busy as it once was, Resolute Bay Airport is still the core of the area, serving as an aviation hub for exploration in the region and connected by direct service to Iqaluit.
Resolute is the starting point for both the Polar Race and the Polar Challenge, in which teams race the 350 nmi (650 km; 400 mi) to the north magnetic pole. In 2007, the British television show Top Gear aired the Top Gear: Polar Special, which embarked from Resolute.
