Yukon

Yukon (<a href="/facts/Canadian_French/FffCQaDq">Canadian French</a>: [juˈkõ]) is one of the <a href="/facts/Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada/k3o89TLx">three northern territories of Canada</a>. It is the westernmost territory, bordering on the <a href="/facts/U.S._state/PFwcRIYQ">U.S. state</a> of <a href="/facts/Alaska/LlDNr2uR">Alaska</a>, and also the smallest of the three in terms of area. As of the <a href="/facts/2021_Canadian_census/eswC1hxC">2021 census</a>, Yukon is the middle territory in terms of population, but the most densely populated. Yukon has an estimated population of 47,126 as of 2025. <a href="/facts/Whitehorse/utMd4sDS">Whitehorse</a>, the territorial capital, is the largest settlement in the three territories.
Yukon was <a href="/facts/History_of_the_Northwest_Territories/LqJf34Gm">split from the Northwest Territories</a> by a federal statute in 1898 as the Yukon Territory. The current governing legislation is a new statute passed by the federal Parliament in 2002, the Yukon Act. That act established Yukon as the territory's official name, although Yukon Territory remains in popular usage. <a href="/facts/Canada_Post/uymMHkyt">Canada Post</a> uses the territory's internationally approved postal abbreviation of YT. In 2021, territorial government policy was changed so that The Yukon would be recommended for use in official territorial government materials.
Although officially bilingual (English and French), the Yukon government recognizes <a href="/facts/First_Nations_in_Canada/ccqhx22M">First Nations</a> languages.
At 5,959 m (19,551 ft), Yukon's <a href="/facts/Mount_Logan/994SzJC0">Mount Logan</a>, in <a href="/facts/Kluane_National_Park_and_Reserve/0HBfTvBL">Kluane National Park and Reserve</a>, is the highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest on the North American continent (after <a href="/facts/Denali/ud7RMYwY">Denali</a> in the <a href="/facts/U.S._state/PFwcRIYQ">U.S. state</a> of <a href="/facts/Alaska/LlDNr2uR">Alaska</a>). Most of the Yukon has a <a href="/facts/Subarctic_climate/xW83IXdL">subarctic climate</a>, characterized by long, cold winters and brief, warm summers. The coastal area along the <a href="/facts/Arctic_Ocean/l6HS3QyV">Arctic Ocean</a> has a <a href="/facts/Tundra_climate/BqC0AQ7u">tundra climate</a>.
Notable rivers include the <a href="/facts/Yukon_River/J0AYLxdQ">Yukon</a>, <a href="/facts/Pelly_River/LcCtnCwB">Pelly</a>, <a href="/facts/Stewart_River_(Yukon)/FkRxcuzS">Stewart</a>, <a href="/facts/Peel_River_(Canada)/3RD7PKbs">Peel</a>, <a href="/facts/White_River_(Yukon)/mXnDplgg">White</a>, <a href="/facts/Liard_River/YVuFHyRk">Liard</a>, and <a href="/facts/Tatshenshini_River/oaCQyoxC">Tatshenshini</a>.

Yukon open-in-new

Yukon