The traditional language of the area was Inuinnaqtun and is written using the Latin alphabet rather than the syllabics of the Inuktitut writing system. Like Cambridge Bay, Bathurst Inlet and Kugluktuk syllabics are rarely seen and used mainly by the Government of Nunavut.
With less than two dozen residents, Umingmaktuuq was one of the smallest permanent non-military communities in Nunavut. At one time[until when?] the community had a school that provided education up to Grade 6. Later, any students were flown to Cambridge Bay and returned to the community only for the summer and Christmas.
The community had no electricity other than that provided by portable generators, and communication with the outside world was by satellite phone. The only access to the community was by chartered aircraft, and the landing strip divided Umingmaktuuq in half. On one side was the old Hudson's Bay Company buildings and the Co-op store. On the other side was the main residential area.
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Umingmaktok had a population of 0, no change from its 2016 population. With a land area of 99.95 km2 (38.59 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.0/km2 (0.0/sq mi) in 2021.[4]
Lee, John. Wolverine Harvest and Carcass Collection Coppermine, Bay Chimo and Bathurst Inlet, 1992/93. Yellowknife, NWT: Dept. of Renewable Resources, Govt. of Northwest Territories, 1994.
