Telling the people of Nunavut their land is their strength and will guide their future, Queen Elizabeth completed the first leg of her Golden Jubilee visit to Canada Friday.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were in the Arctic only 2.5 hours, but it was long enough to touch the hearts of residents who had crowded Iqaluit's sparse downtown to welcome her.

"She asked me if I was a resident here, and how long I've been here," said one excited woman who was pleasantly surprised when the Queen stopped to chat during a walkabout outside the Nunavut Legislative Assembly building.

"I had no idea I would get that close (to the Queen)," she said.

Canada's head of state touched down in Iqaluit on the tundra for her 21th visit to Canada -- her 20th since becoming Queen -- to give Canadians a rare chance to celebrate her 50-year reign.

Inside Nunavut's newly dedicated legislature building, the Queen spoke to elders from the 26 Inuit communities scattered across the territory. She told the people of Nunavut that they have created harmony with the environment and regard it as a gift to be cherished, not to be squandered.

"Taking its rightful place in this Canadian story has been the birth of Nunavut in 1999 . . . Prince Philip and I congratulate you for bringing your dream to reality," the Queen said in her opening speech.

"I thank you for welcoming us so warmly here today on this my first stop of my Canadian Jubilee tour."

In an address to the legislature, Prime Minister Jean Chretien told the Queen that the cold of Iqaluit was lessened by the warm smiling faces that greeted her after she arrived.

"As always, Canadians have been awaiting your arrival with keen anticipation," Chretien said.

Just 30 minutes before Chretien's comments, the Queen was overheard commenting to the prime minister how cold it is in Iqaluit -- a chilly minus 2 Celsius -- to which Chretien replied: "that's the North."

The Queen's Canadian Forces Airbus A-310 landed on the Arctic tundra shortly before noon ET. There was light snow driven by a steady wind as she disembarked the plane dressed in a light beige coat and hat.

The smiling monarch and Prince Philip were greeted by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps while a group of local school children presented the Queen with a small bouquet of yellow and orange flowers.

Chretien and aboriginal singers greeted the Queen at the Nunavut Legislative Assembly building, where she dedicated the seat of Canada's newest government.

For Iqaluit's young people, the highlight of the Queen's 2.5-hour Nunavut visit was her stop to the Inuksuk High School, much to the delight of local school children and community leaders.

"There's a tremendous amount of excitement from kids, teachers, the whole community. Everyone's delighted," school principal Terry Young told CTV.

The Queen met five groups of school children, each demonstrating a cultural tradition including a bone game, igloo, tent with sewing demonstration, preparation of caribou meat, and drum making.

She was also treated to a rare public display of Arctic aerobatics from school performers as well as native drumming and dancing.

"We have some real excellent athletes from northern Canada ... activities you'll see nowhere else in the world except in the north," Young said.

Many renovations have been made to Iqaluit in anticipation of the Queen's visit. The legislature parking area was repaved ahead of the dedication ceremony and a stone sculpture garden the Queen toured was also cleaned up.

The Queen will rest in Victoria on Saturday before touring Vancouver on Sunday, where she is scheduled to drop the puck in a ceremonial faceoff between the Canucks and the San Jose Sharks at GM Place.

Monarchist League of Canada chairman John Aimers calls a puck-drop a unique moment for Canadians.

"Some said the other day that the Queen and the puck are similar; they are both enduring symbols of Canadian identity. I thought that was a neat comparison," Aimers said in an interview with CTV.

The last and only time Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended a hockey game was in 1951 at the Montreal Forum during their first visit to Canada. She was only 25 years old and still a princess.

The Queen's tour wraps up Oct. 15 in Ottawa.