Districts of the Northwest Territories

In 1870, Canada gained control of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company.

That same year, a small piece of Rupert's Land was formed into the province of Manitoba, but the rest of the area was merged and renamed the North-West Territories.

This region included the vast bulk of Canada's present day landmass and covered an area about the size of western Europe.

In 1876, the North-West Territories contracted in size when a large area of 590,932 km2 (228,160 sq mi), between Manitoba and Ontario and along the entire west coast of Hudson Bay, was established by Canada as a territory named the District of Keewatin.

In 1880, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was ceded to Canada by the United Kingdom and this land was added to the North-West Territories.