Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine is one of two municipalities forming the urban agglomeration
of Îles-de-la-Madeleine
in Quebec
, Canada
. It is part of the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region and the population is 12,628 as of 2009.
Following a municipal reorganization
in 2001 in Quebec, the seven communities of the Magdalen Islands
amalgamated to form the municipality of Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. However, after the election of Jean Charest
as premier of Quebec
in 2002, the community of Grosse-Île
decided to split from the municipality.
The following are the six other independent communities that amalgamated to create Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine in 2001.
(Île du Cap aux Meules in French), Cap-aux-Meules was settled as early as the 19th century. Before the 2002 amalgamation, it was the Magdalen Islands' smallest community in land area, but because of its location at the centre of the archipelago, it has become the most important business centre of the islands and, as such, was named "Capital of the Islands." The ferry servicing Cap-aux-Meules to Souris, Prince Edward Island
constitutes the archipelago's only port of entry by sea.
The name of the community is associated to the grindstone quarry located on the island. Its population as of 2006, was 1,685.
in Portugal
, a pilgrimage
site highly visited after three young shepherds claimed the Holy Virgin
appeared to them. Its population as of 2006, was 2,809.
s facing each other and creating a bay
safe for boats and ships to harbour. Scots
settled on the island at the end of the 18th century, but Basque
fishermen had been to the area during the 16th century. Its population as of 2006, was 624.
. The island was first known as Allright Island, then Alwright, and then Saunders, after sir Charles Saunders, a British
admiral
who accompanied General James Wolfe
to Quebec City
in 1759. The harbour between Grindstone and House Harbour islands was already known in 1756 as Harbour Maison. Since nobody lived on the island before 1765, the singular form for Maison could be attributed to the ruins of a habitation built by early Basque visitors and found by French explorers in 1663. Its population, as of 2006, was 2,078.
Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport
, Magdalen Islands' only port of entry by air, is located at Havre-aux-Maisons.
The hamlet of Dune-du-Sud, northeast of Havre-aux-Maisons, is a Hydro-Québec
experimentation site to assess power lines' resistance to high winds. In 1993, it built a vertical-axis windmill, but the project did not go further past the experimental level. The windmill is now purely decorative.
, the Magdalen Islands' only post-secondary institution. Population as of 2006, 3,126.
(Île d'Entrée in French). Population as of 2006, 2,238.
Amherst Island's first settlers arrived in 1762 from Acadia
, Prince Edward Island
and the Chaleur Bay
. A municipality, Havre-Aubert, was constituted in 1875 and changed its name to Bassin in 1959. Another municipality, Havre-Aubert-Est, was constituted in 1951 and changed its name to Havre-Aubert in 1964. Both amalgamated in 1971 and took the name of L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert. The island is a member of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec
.
Historians do not agree on where the name "Havre-Aubert" is originating. Some suggested the name of an obscure friend of Jacques Cartier
, while others brought up Thomas Aubert, a sailor from Dieppe
and one of the Americas
' first explorers, or François Aubert de La Chesnaye, who would have supported the colonization efforts of New France
, as likely explications. Some have mentioned a family of sailors named "Auber" and other hypotheses include French explorer Jean-François Roberval, who would have stayed on the island in 1542, to name it "Havre au Ber," "ber" meaning in this case "berceau" (cradle in English, while "havre" is French for harbour). Roberval's child was still a baby at the time. However "ber" is also a marine term designating the wood structure on which a boat lies during construction or reparation. Meanwhile, an anonymous British map of the area in 1756 named it Harbour Ober and the post office, opened in 1899, bore the name "Amherst Island" until 1907.
In 2000, a new municipality named L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert was constituted following the amalgamation of L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert and the village of L'Île-d'Entrée. Entry Island is the only inhabited island part of the Magdalen Islands unconnected to the rest of the archipelago by land. It is located five kilometres east of Amherst Island and it is one of the three English-speaking centres of the archipelago. It saw its first inhabitants in the early 19th century: Scottish people from Grosse-Île and Nova Scotia
settlers .
Entry Island owes its name to the fact that it is located at the southeast entrance of the archipelago. A ferry service exists between Entry Island and the village of Cap-aux-Meules.
Urban agglomerations of Quebec
An agglomeration, or urban agglomeration, is an administrative subdivision of Quebec at the local level that may group together a number of municipalities which were abolished as independent entities on 1 January 2002 but reconstituted on 1 January 2006.Urban agglomerations have certain powers that...
of Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is part of the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region and the population is 12,628 as of 2009.
Following a municipal reorganization
Municipal reorganization in Quebec
The most recent episode of municipal reorganization in Quebec, Canada, was undertaken in 2002 by the Parti Québécois Government of Quebec, headed by Premier Lucien Bouchard and his successor Bernard Landry....
in 2001 in Quebec, the seven communities of the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
amalgamated to form the municipality of Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. However, after the election of Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
as premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
in 2002, the community of Grosse-Île
Grosse-Île, Quebec
Grosse-Île is one of two municipalities forming the urban agglomeration of Îles-de-la-Madeleine in Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region and the population is 539 as of 2009....
decided to split from the municipality.
The following are the six other independent communities that amalgamated to create Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine in 2001.
Cap-aux-Meules
Located on Grindstone IslandGrindstone Island (Magdalen Islands)
Grindstone Island is an island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The island is one of the Magdalen Islands of Quebec, Canada. The island is the second largest island by area of the Magdalen Islands....
(Île du Cap aux Meules in French), Cap-aux-Meules was settled as early as the 19th century. Before the 2002 amalgamation, it was the Magdalen Islands' smallest community in land area, but because of its location at the centre of the archipelago, it has become the most important business centre of the islands and, as such, was named "Capital of the Islands." The ferry servicing Cap-aux-Meules to Souris, Prince Edward Island
Souris, Prince Edward Island
Souris is a Canadian port town in northeastern Kings County, Prince Edward Island. It is located in an area famous for its beaches and potatoes, containing the majority of Prince Edward Island's potato manufacturers.-History:...
constitutes the archipelago's only port of entry by sea.
The name of the community is associated to the grindstone quarry located on the island. Its population as of 2006, was 1,685.
Fatima
Also located on Grindstone Island, Fatima was settled between 1820 and 1845. It is named after FátimaFátima, Portugal
Fátima is a city in Portugal famous for the Marian apparitions, recognized by the Catholic Church, that took place there in 1917. The town itself has a population of 7,756 and is located in the municipality of Ourém, in the Centro Region and Médio Tejo Subregion...
in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
site highly visited after three young shepherds claimed the Holy Virgin
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
appeared to them. Its population as of 2006, was 2,809.
Grande-Entrée
Separated from the rest of Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine by the municipality of Grosse-Île, Grande-Entrée is located on Grand Entry Island, named after the two headlandHeadland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
s facing each other and creating a bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
safe for boats and ships to harbour. Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
settled on the island at the end of the 18th century, but Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
fishermen had been to the area during the 16th century. Its population as of 2006, was 624.
Havre-aux-Maisons
The first settlers came to Havre-aux-Maisons, located on House Harbour Island (Île du Havre aux Maisons in French), in 1765 from AcadiaAcadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
. The island was first known as Allright Island, then Alwright, and then Saunders, after sir Charles Saunders, a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
who accompanied General James Wolfe
James Wolfe
Major General James P. Wolfe was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada...
to Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
in 1759. The harbour between Grindstone and House Harbour islands was already known in 1756 as Harbour Maison. Since nobody lived on the island before 1765, the singular form for Maison could be attributed to the ruins of a habitation built by early Basque visitors and found by French explorers in 1663. Its population, as of 2006, was 2,078.
Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport
Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport
Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport, , is located on Havre aux Maisons island in the Magdalen Islands, Quebec, Canada. Although it is almost at sea level, nearby land rises significantly to the south, prohibiting circling approaches in that direction...
, Magdalen Islands' only port of entry by air, is located at Havre-aux-Maisons.
The hamlet of Dune-du-Sud, northeast of Havre-aux-Maisons, is a Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
experimentation site to assess power lines' resistance to high winds. In 1993, it built a vertical-axis windmill, but the project did not go further past the experimental level. The windmill is now purely decorative.
L'Étang-du-Nord
L'Étang-du-Nord is composed of several hamlets running along the eastern coast of Grindstone Island, a few kilometres away from Cap-aux-Meules. Main fishing centre of the archipelago, the coast was settled around 1830. The community hosts a campus of Cégep de la Gaspésie et des ÎlesCégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles
Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles is a francophone CEGEP in Gaspé, Quebec, Canada. The College of General and Vocational Education is affiliated with the ACCC, and CCAA.-Campus:...
, the Magdalen Islands' only post-secondary institution. Population as of 2006, 3,126.
L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert
L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert is composed of three distinct hamlets, Havre-Aubert and Bassin (both on Amherst Island, Île du Havre Aubert in French) and L'Île-d'Entrée, on Entry IslandEntry Island
Entry Island is an island off the east coast of the Magdalen Islands, which are part of the Canadian Province of Quebec. The island is 2 km wide and 3 km long. The island is located 12 km from the main port of Cap-aux-Meules of the Magdalen Islands. Entry Island is only accessible...
(Île d'Entrée in French). Population as of 2006, 2,238.
Amherst Island's first settlers arrived in 1762 from Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and the Chaleur Bay
Chaleur Bay
frame| Satellite image of Chaleur Bay . Chaleur Bay is the large bay opening to the east;the [[Gaspé Peninsula]] appears to the north and the [[Gulf of St...
. A municipality, Havre-Aubert, was constituted in 1875 and changed its name to Bassin in 1959. Another municipality, Havre-Aubert-Est, was constituted in 1951 and changed its name to Havre-Aubert in 1964. Both amalgamated in 1971 and took the name of L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert. The island is a member of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec
Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec
The Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec is an association created in 1997 by Jean-Marie Girardville and inspired from similar associations in France, Belgium, and Italy. Its objective is to promote the preservation and the enhancement of the architectural and historical heritage of villages in...
.
Historians do not agree on where the name "Havre-Aubert" is originating. Some suggested the name of an obscure friend of Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
, while others brought up Thomas Aubert, a sailor from Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
and one of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
' first explorers, or François Aubert de La Chesnaye, who would have supported the colonization efforts of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
, as likely explications. Some have mentioned a family of sailors named "Auber" and other hypotheses include French explorer Jean-François Roberval, who would have stayed on the island in 1542, to name it "Havre au Ber," "ber" meaning in this case "berceau" (cradle in English, while "havre" is French for harbour). Roberval's child was still a baby at the time. However "ber" is also a marine term designating the wood structure on which a boat lies during construction or reparation. Meanwhile, an anonymous British map of the area in 1756 named it Harbour Ober and the post office, opened in 1899, bore the name "Amherst Island" until 1907.
In 2000, a new municipality named L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert was constituted following the amalgamation of L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert and the village of L'Île-d'Entrée. Entry Island is the only inhabited island part of the Magdalen Islands unconnected to the rest of the archipelago by land. It is located five kilometres east of Amherst Island and it is one of the three English-speaking centres of the archipelago. It saw its first inhabitants in the early 19th century: Scottish people from Grosse-Île and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
settlers .
Entry Island owes its name to the fact that it is located at the southeast entrance of the archipelago. A ferry service exists between Entry Island and the village of Cap-aux-Meules.