The Queen has braved sub-zero temperatures to meet Canada's Inuit people on a trip to the Arctic.

Wrapped against the cold in a mink-trimmed coat, the Queen was on the latest leg of her Golden Jubilee tour of the Commonwealth.

Simoe Arnatsiaq, five, watches the Queen's visit

She and the Duke of Edinburgh were in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, once part of the vast Northwest Territories.

The country's newest territory, Nunavut has been self-governing for just three-and-a-half years.

Nunavut's government leader Paul Okalik was with Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson to welcome the Royal party.

Mr Okalik is a self-confessed alcoholic, dry for 11 years, who in his youth served time in jail for alcohol-induced violence and burglary.

Drug and alcohol abuse is a problem in the desolate area which also suffers from high unemployment, domestic violence and teenage pregnancy.

The suicide rate in Iqaluit is five times the Canadian national average and 15 times the average among the young.

Inuit greeting

The Queen met locals on the first day of a 10-day tour of Canada.

And as Canadian head of state, the Queen's visit gave the final endorsement to the new territory.

Seated on a sealskin throne, the Queen congratulated the Inuit people on achieving regional self-government and dedicated the new Legislative Assembly.

The Queen delivered the speech in English and French, ending with the words "Nakurmiit ammalu quviasugitsi", meaning "Thank you and be happy".

The Queen and a local man in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut

Prime Minister Chretien told the Queen: "I was not alone in noting that the slight chill that is even now in the air has been lessened by the warmth of smiling faces that have already greeted you along the way."

The Royal couple watched a display of traditional Inuit sports, including forms of martial-arts-type kicking and "pain games" like the knuckle hop.

The extraordinary sports, demonstrated by medallists from the 2002 Arctic Winter Games, captivated Prince Philip who watched intently and applauded enthusiastically as one Inuit athlete equalled his world record of leaping 8ft 8ins to kick a target, performing a balanced landing on the same foot used for the kick.

Many of Iqaluit's 6,000 inhabitants turned out to see the Queen.

More than 10 times the size of the United Kingdom, Nunavut extends across more than a fifth of the world's second biggest country.

But its population is less than 30,000, 85% of whom are native people, the Inuit.