Where the populations of Earth stand at 8 billion, many remote corners remain unexplored and untouched. Specifically, areas like Devon Island in Nunavut, Canada, boast similar latitudes to the cities of Bergen and Murmansk in Scandinavia, without any permanent settlements. As countries like Greenland eagerly welcome tourists and urban planners consider the possibility of colonization, the question arises: is it wise to expand human presence into these virgin lands?

Unsettled Latitudes

To understand why trying to settle Nunavut might be a challenge, we must first examine the geography and climate conditions. While cities in Europe, such as Bergen and Murmansk, benefit from ocean currents that moderate the climate, Canada lacks the Gulf Stream. This ocean current significantly warms the European coast, making these northern locales more habitable. The absence of such currents renders Nunavut's climate even more unforgiving.

Economic Considerations

Another critical factor to consider is the cost of living in northern communities. The high cost of shipped goods, such as a dollar store item that costs 30 times more in Nunavut, reveals the logistical challenges of sustaining a permanent settlement. Think of it this way: everything from food to building supplies to daily goods must be transported over vast distances, driving up the prices significantly.

Take for instance, a case of water that costs 3 or 4 dollars in your local community can easily ring up a price tag of 30 dollars up north. This phenomenon isn't limited to water; fresh produce and even canned goods are priced astronomically due to the high cost of transportation. The high transportation costs make it economically unsustainable to maintain permanent settlements in these regions.

Urbanization and Transportation

From an urban planning perspective, the placement of cities often revolves around access to water and transportation hubs. Cities like Murmansk, Bergen, and Anchorage benefit from harbors, providing them with crucial access to water and affordable transportation for goods and people. Similarly, Toronto, with its strategic location where two navigable rivers join a lake, is a prime example of a city built around a transportation hub.

However, in northern Canada, the landscape poses significant challenges. The difficulty and cost of building and maintaining roads and railways make these transport options economically unviable without a substantial population. And without such infrastructure, maintaining a large population is even more challenging.

Environmental and Economic Feasibility

North of the tree line, where farmable land is scarce, the task of feeding a population becomes a daunting prospect. Agriculture in these regions is hindered by harsh weather conditions and soil quality. Instead, a reliance on hunting and gathering defines the lifestyle of the people who call the arctic and subarctic regions home.

The economic viability of settling the far north hinges on the ability to sustain a population. Should people be unable to be fed and housed, they would either perish or migrate, counteracting the motivation for settlement in the first place. The cost of ensuring basic needs like food and shelter is prohibitively high.

In summary, while cities in northern Scandinavia and other parts of the world thrive due to favorable climatic conditions and strategic locations, Devon Island and other regions in Nunavut present a different set of challenges. The remote nature of these locations, along with the high cost of living and the logistical hurdles in transportation, make it questionable whether such regions are suitable for permanent human settlement.