Sanirajak, formerly Hall Beach, is located at N65’ W81’ in the Qikiqtaaluk (or Baffin) Region of Nunavut, just south of the nearby community of Igloolik.
The community was created in 1957 when the Cold War resulted in the establishment of a chain of Distant Early Warning (DEW) radar sites. The DEW line was centred along the 70th parallel to monitor Canadian air space in the far north.
In the early 1960s, many Inuit families abandoned camp life and moved to the community to take advantage of government housing programs, health care and opportunities for work and education. In 1953, no one lived in the area on a permanent basis. By 1960, however, there were 300 qallunaat (white people) living on the site and about 260 Inuit had begun to settle in the area. The town was officially incorporated in 1978.
Population: 961