Whitehorse has the best air quality out of 1,082 cities surveyed around the world, the World Health Organization announced Monday.

"It is significant recognition for our capital city.” Mayor Bev Buckway said after learning of the survey results from a reporter who contacted her from the Associated Press' bureau office for Canada.

"It's a neat thing for our city to be able to add this to our list of assets,” she said.

"We have wonderful assets. We have the lifestyle factor, low unemployment, we we won't talk about the housing, and now we have the best air quality in the world.”

Buckway said the recognition is of such significance that it should be somehow incorporated into marketing campaigns to promote the city and the territory.

It's not uncommon for visitors to mention the freshness of the air when they first get off the airplane, she said, adding that Yukoners sort of take the air quality for granted.

The mayor said now the city has the numerical proof from a reputable source to cite.

Many of the cities with the best air quality were in Canada and the United States, according to the WHO survey.

Of the top 10, for instance, nine were in Canada.

The survey tested the air quality in 91 countries over eight years beginning in 2003 to the end of 2010, based on the amount of tiny particulate matter per cubic metre of air with a diameter of 10 microns or fewer.

Whitehorse scored the best with three, just ahead of the four recorded in second-place Kitimat, B.C., and five in both Burns Lake, B.C. and Houston, B.C. for a two-way tie for third.

Nanaimo, B.C., Terrace, B.C., Corner Brook, Nfld., Fredriction, N.B, Nelson, B.C., Medicine Hat, Alta., and Clear Lake, Calif. all scored six, creating a seven -way tie for fourth.

Ahwaz, Iran has the worst air, with a particulate count of 372, while the count of 279 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia was the second-worst.

Of the worst 10, four were recorded in Iran, two in India, two in Pakistan and one in both Mongolia and Botswana.

The WHO survey said the average among countries by region is between 21 and 141, with the worldwide average sitting at 71.

Edmonton and Anchorage were among the cities ranked between 50 and 100 as having the best air, with a particulate count of 11, while Winnipeg, Regina and Calgary were among the top 50 cities, each with counts of nine.

The count for Toronto was 13.