Nord-du-Québec
Encyclopedia
Nord-du-Québec is the largest of the seventeen administrative regions of 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...
. With 839000 square kilometres (323,939.7 sq mi), of which 121000 square kilometres (46,718.4 sq mi) are lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s and river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s, it covers much of the Labrador Peninsula
Labrador Peninsula
The Labrador Peninsula is a large peninsula in eastern Canada. It is bounded by the Hudson Bay to the west, the Hudson Strait to the north, the Labrador Sea to the east, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the south-east...
and about 55% of the total land surface area of Quebec.
Before 1912, the northernmost part of this region was known as the Ungava District
District of Ungava
The District of Ungava was a regional administrative district of Canada's Northwest Territories from 1895 to 1912. It covered the northern portion of what is today Quebec, the interior of Labrador and the offshore islands to the west and north, which are now part of the Nunavut.The continental...
of the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, and until 1987 it was referred to as Nouveau-Québec, or New Quebec. It is bordered by Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
and James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
in the west, Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait links the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay in Canada. It lies between Baffin Island and the northern coast of Quebec, its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley and Resolution Island. It is long...
and Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about and has an area of approximately...
in the north, Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
in the northeast, and the administrative regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Abitibi-Témiscamingue is a region located in western Quebec, Canada, along the border with Ontario. It became part of the province in 1898. It has a land area of 57,674.26 km2 . As of the 2006 census, the population of the region was 143,872 inhabitants.-History:The land was first occupied...
, Mauricie
Mauricie
Mauricie is a traditional and current administrative region of Quebec. La Mauricie National Park is contained within the region, making it a prime tourist location. The region has a land area of 35,855.22 km² and a 2006 census population of 258,928 residents...
, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is a region in Quebec, Canada. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region...
, and Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord is the second largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec...
in the south and southeast.
The Nord-du-Québec region is part of the territory covered by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
The James Bay And Northern Quebec Agreement was an Aboriginal land claim settlement, approved in 1975 by the Cree and Inuit of northern Quebec, and later slightly modified in 1978 by the Northeastern Quebec Agreement, through which Quebec's Naskapi First Nations joined the treaty...
of 1975; other regions covered (in part) by this Agreement include the Côte-Nord, Mauricie and Abitibi-Témiscamingue administrative regions.
Geography
The Nord-du-Québec region is itself composed of two smaller regions, the Jamésie regionJamésie Territory, Quebec
Jamésie is a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality of Quebec. Its geographical code is 991 .Together with the TEs of Kativik and Eeyou Istchee, it forms the administrative region and census division of Nord-du-Québec...
south of the 55th parallel and the Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
region in the north. The Jamésie region has a land area of 303,473.27 km2 (117,171.68 sq mi) and a 2006 census
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
population of 28,190 inhabitants. Its largest community is the city of Chibougamau
Chibougamau, Quebec
Chibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,563 people , which makes it the largest community in northern Quebec...
. The Nunavik region has a land area of 443,684.71 km2 (171,307.62 sq mi) and a resident population of 11,627 persons. Its largest community is the village of Kuujjuaq
Kuujjuaq, Quebec
Kuujjuaq is the largest Inuit village in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada with a population of 2,132 as of the 2006 census. This is up roughly 10% from 1,932 as of the 2001 Census. It is the administrative capital of Nunavik and lies on the western shore of the Koksoak River.Kuujjuaq previously was known...
.
The Jamésie region, which extends from the eastern shore of James Bay to the Otish Mountains of the Laurentian Plateau, is mainly boreal forest. Nunavik has some boreal forest in its southern portion but is mainly tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
which covers the entire Ungava Peninsula
Ungava Peninsula
The Ungava Peninsula of Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, is bounded by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, and Ungava Bay to the east. The Ungava Peninsula is part of the Labrador Peninsula and covers about 252,000 km²...
.
Population and local government
The 39,817 inhabitants of Nord-du-Québec include 13,000 CreeCree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
, mostly living in the Jamésie region, and about 9,500 Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
, most of whom live in coastal Northern villages in Nunavik. The remaining population, concentrated in the south, are of European descent.
The administrative structure of Nord-du-Québec is divided between 2 native semi-autonomous governments and 5 municipalities. The Cree Regional Authority, which in practice has been incorporated into the Grand Council of the Crees
Grand Council of the Crees
The Grand Council of the Crees , or the GCC, is the political body that represents the approximately 16,357 Crees or “Iyyu” / “Iynu” of the Eeyou Istchee territory in the James Bay and Nunavik regions of Northern Quebec, Canada...
, represents all 9 Cree villages of northern Quebec in a territory officially known since 2007 as Eeyou Istchee
Eeyou Istchee (territory)
Eeyou Istchee is a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality of Quebec, represented by the Grand Council of the Crees. Its geographical code is 993. It comprises numerous scattered non-contiguous communities primarily enclaved within the municipality of Baie-James, but not a part of...
("The People's Land"). The Kativik Regional Government offers local services to all residents of the 14 villages of the Nunavik region, both Inuit and non-Inuit, with the exception of the Cree village of Whapmagoostui
Whapmagoostui, Quebec
Whapmagoostui |beluga]]") is the northernmost Cree village in Quebec, located at the mouth of the Great Whale River on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. About 500 people, mostly Inuit, live in the neighbouring northern village of Kuujjuarapik. The community is only accessible by...
whose residents participate in the Cree Regional Authority. The largest of the 5 municipalities is Baie-James
Baie-James, Quebec
The Municipality of Baie-James is in northern Quebec, Canada, to the east of James Bay. It covers 297,329.66 square kilometers of land, making it the largest incorporated municipality in Canada — only eight unorganized territories are larger...
, almost entirely covering the Jamésie Territory.
The principal towns and villages of Nord-du-Québec are Chibougamau
Chibougamau, Quebec
Chibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,563 people , which makes it the largest community in northern Quebec...
(largest town in this region), Chisasibi
Chisasibi, Quebec
Chisasibi is a village on the eastern shore of James Bay, in the Eeyou Istchee territory in northern Quebec, Canada. It is situated on the south shore of La Grande River , less than from the river's mouth...
, Mistissini
Mistissini, Quebec
Mistissini is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini . The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people...
and Kuujjuaq
Kuujjuaq, Quebec
Kuujjuaq is the largest Inuit village in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada with a population of 2,132 as of the 2006 census. This is up roughly 10% from 1,932 as of the 2001 Census. It is the administrative capital of Nunavik and lies on the western shore of the Koksoak River.Kuujjuaq previously was known...
.
Transportation and access
There is a limited network of roads in the Jamésie region which reaches most of the few, small communities. Most were constructed as part of the James Bay ProjectJames Bay Project
The James Bay Project is a series of hydroelectric development with a combined installed capacity of over 16,000 megawatts built since 1974 for Hydro-Québec by the on the La Grande and other rivers of Northern Quebec....
. The "main road" of the region is the 620 kilometres (385.3 mi) long James Bay Road, a paved (albeit remote) extension of Route 109
Quebec route 109
Route 109 is a Quebec provincial highway that runs through the western regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec. It begins at Route 117 in Rivière-Héva, proceeding north approximately to Amos. From there, the highway extends to Matagami, where the road continues northwards as James Bay...
from Matagammi
Matagami, Quebec
Matagami is a small town in Quebec, Canada. It is located north of Amos, on Matagami Lake, at the northern terminus of Route 109 and the start of the James Bay Road . The town had a population of 1,555 in the Canada 2006 Census.-History:Matagami was founded in 1963 with the development of mining...
to Radisson
Radisson, Quebec
Radisson is a small village situated near the Robert-Bourassa hydroelectric power station on the La Grande River in the James Bay region of Quebec...
. The 407 kilometres (252.9 mi) long gravel Route du Nord
Route du Nord
The Route du Nord is an isolated wilderness road in central Quebec, Canada, connecting Chibougamau with the James Bay Road at km 275. It is long, all of it unpaved...
connects the James Bay Road to Route 167
Quebec Route 167
Route 167 is an isolated provincial highway in Quebec, Canada. It begins at the shore of Lac Saint-Jean in Saint-Félicien. It proceeds north-west to Chibougamau away. There are no services along this long stretch. At Chibougamau, the highway turns north-east towards Mistissini.Maps are conflicting...
near Chibougamau
Chibougamau, Quebec
Chibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,563 people , which makes it the largest community in northern Quebec...
. The 666 kilometres (413.8 mi) gravel Trans-Taiga Road branches off the James Bay Road to Caniapiscau
Caniapiscau, Quebec
Caniapiscau is a vast unorganized territory in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, part of Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality.The territory is home to the huge Caniapiscau Reservoir, the largest body of water in Quebec. The reservoir was named after Lake Caniapiscau that was flooded in...
, the northernmost connecting road in eastern North America.
The few provincial routes are concentrated in the far south of the region, including Route 109
Quebec route 109
Route 109 is a Quebec provincial highway that runs through the western regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec. It begins at Route 117 in Rivière-Héva, proceeding north approximately to Amos. From there, the highway extends to Matagami, where the road continues northwards as James Bay...
to Matagami
Matagami, Quebec
Matagami is a small town in Quebec, Canada. It is located north of Amos, on Matagami Lake, at the northern terminus of Route 109 and the start of the James Bay Road . The town had a population of 1,555 in the Canada 2006 Census.-History:Matagami was founded in 1963 with the development of mining...
, Route 113
Quebec route 113
Route 113 is a north/south two lane highway in northern Quebec, Canada. It starts at Route 117 just north of Louvicourt and continues north and north-east roughly until Waswanipi from where it continues east until it ends at Route 167 in Chibougamau...
, which ends near Chibougamau
Chibougamau, Quebec
Chibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,563 people , which makes it the largest community in northern Quebec...
, and Route 167
Quebec Route 167
Route 167 is an isolated provincial highway in Quebec, Canada. It begins at the shore of Lac Saint-Jean in Saint-Félicien. It proceeds north-west to Chibougamau away. There are no services along this long stretch. At Chibougamau, the highway turns north-east towards Mistissini.Maps are conflicting...
to Mistissini
Mistissini, Quebec
Mistissini is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini . The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people...
There are no roads to Nunavik from the south. There are isolated roads in and around villages, as well as an isolated road running from the Raglan Mines
Raglan Mines, Quebec
Raglan Mine is a large nickel mining complex in the Nunavik region of northern Quebec, Canada. It is located approximately south of Deception Bay. It is owned and operated by Toronto, Ontario based Xstrata Nickel , a division of Swiss-based Xstrata plc...
to Deception Bay, connecting to Salluit
Salluit, Quebec
Salluit is the second northernmost Inuit community in Quebec, Canada, located on Sugluk Inlet close to the Hudson Strait. Its population was 1241 in 2006 , and growing rapidly...
. Access is limited to air travel, sea travel to coastal areas, or hiking great distances. All villages have their own airport, with the Kuujjuak Airport functioning as a regional hub.
Subdivisions
Regional Government- Kativik Territory
Independent Cities
- ChapaisChapais, QuebecChapais is a community in the Canadian province of Quebec, located on Route 113 near Chibougamau in the Jamésie region. It is surrounded by, but not a part of, the municipality of Baie-James. The community was first settled in 1929, when prospector Léo Springer discovered deposits of copper, silver...
- ChibougamauChibougamau, QuebecChibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,563 people , which makes it the largest community in northern Quebec...
- Lebel-sur-QuévillonLebel-sur-Quévillon, QuebecLebel-sur-Quévillon is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec, located on Route 113 in the Jamésie region. It is located approximately 88 kilometres north of Senneterre and approximately 200 kilometres southwest of Chibougamau...
- MatagamiMatagami, QuebecMatagami is a small town in Quebec, Canada. It is located north of Amos, on Matagami Lake, at the northern terminus of Route 109 and the start of the James Bay Road . The town had a population of 1,555 in the Canada 2006 Census.-History:Matagami was founded in 1963 with the development of mining...
Independent Municipality
- Baie-JamesBaie-James, QuebecThe Municipality of Baie-James is in northern Quebec, Canada, to the east of James Bay. It covers 297,329.66 square kilometers of land, making it the largest incorporated municipality in Canada — only eight unorganized territories are larger...
Native Reserve
- Lac-JohnLac-John, QuebecLac-John is a First Nations reserve on John Lake in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, about north-east from the centre of Schefferville. Together with the Matimekosh Reserve, it belongs to the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John...
Cree Villages
- ChisasibiChisasibi, QuebecChisasibi is a village on the eastern shore of James Bay, in the Eeyou Istchee territory in northern Quebec, Canada. It is situated on the south shore of La Grande River , less than from the river's mouth...
- EastmainEastmain, QuebecEastmain is a Cree community located on James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is the smallest of the coastal Cree villages with a population of 606 people...
- MistissiniMistissini, QuebecMistissini is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini . The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people...
- NemaskaNemaska, QuebecNemaska is a small Cree community located on the shores of Lake Champion, in Quebec, Canada. It is the smallest Cree village with a population of 560 people...
- WaskaganishWaskaganish, QuebecWaskaganish is a Cree village of about 2000 people at the mouth of the Rupert River on the south-east shore of James Bay in the Eeyou Istchee territory in Northern Quebec, Canada...
- WaswanipiWaswanipi, QuebecWaswanipi is a Cree/Iynu community in the Eeyou Istchee territory of central Quebec, Canada, located along Route 113 and near the confluence of the Chibougamau and Waswanipi Rivers. It has a population of 1,473 people...
- WemindjiWemindji, QuebecWemindji is a small Cree community on Paint Hills Bay off James Bay at the mouth of the Maquatua River in Quebec, Canada. The community has a population of 1238 people ....
- WhapmagoostuiWhapmagoostui, QuebecWhapmagoostui |beluga]]") is the northernmost Cree village in Quebec, located at the mouth of the Great Whale River on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. About 500 people, mostly Inuit, live in the neighbouring northern village of Kuujjuarapik. The community is only accessible by...