Language Maps

These maps were created as an outgrowth of work on the third edition of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.

They are in KML format, which means that you will need Google Earth (a free download) in order to view them.

It is recommended that you set the following options in Google Earth:

Aboriginal Languages: This map identifies 95 aboriginal languages in Canada. It includes Bungee (really just a dialect of English) and Clallam (extinct in Canada, but still spoken in the USA). It also includes three recently extinct languages (Pentlatch, Tsetsaut and Tagish).
Aboriginal Communities: This map identifies over 3,000 places in Canada, colour-coded according to the principal aboriginal language. The places were assembled from a listing of all Indian Reserves in the country, plus a list of additional aboriginal communities obtained from Statistics Canada publications.
Aboriginal Communities v2: An experimental version of the Aboriginal communities map. If you click on the icon for Iqaluit, an "enhanced" pop-up window will appear.

Tips on using the maps

Sidebar legend: Languages and communities are classified by language hierarchy.
Pop-up windows: Clicking on an icon will trigger a pop-up window displaying additional information about the language or community, with hyperlinks to additional information.