The Inuit of Canada are part of a wider cultural group which includes the Inupiat of north Alaska and eastern Russia, the Inuit of Greenland and the Yupik who occupy coastal southwestern Alaska, Nunavik and St. Lawrence Islands as well as a small sector of the southeastern Chukchi Peninsula in Russia. Although differences in language, culture and environment exist, there is a strong link and many similarities that prevail between the groups. There are approximately 45,000 Inuit who live in Canada, 55,000 in Greenland, 50,000 in Alaska and 2,000 who live in Russia. Of the Yupik, 25,000 live in Alaska and 1,300 in Russia. |