Nord-du-Québec is the largest of the seventeen
administrative regions of
Quebec,
Canada. With , of which are
lakes and
rivers, it covers much of the
Labrador Peninsula 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 of the
Northwest Territories, and until 1987 it was referred to as Nouveau-Québec, or
New Quebec. It is bordered by
Hudson Bay and
James Bay in the west,
Hudson Strait and
Ungava Bay in the north,
Labrador in the northeast, and the administrative regions of
Abitibi-Témiscamingue,
Mauricie,
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, and
Côte-Nord in the south and southeast.
The Nord-du-Québec region is part of the territory covered by the
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement 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 region south of the 55th parallel and the
Nunavik region in the north. The Jamésie region has a land area of 303,473.27 km
2 (117,171.68 sq mi) and a
2006 census population of 28,190 inhabitants. Its largest community is the city of
Chibougamau. The Nunavik region has a land area of 443,684.71 km
2 (171,307.62 sq mi)and a resident population of 11,627 persons. Its largest community is the village of
Kuujjuaq.
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 which covers the entire
Ungava Peninsula.
Population and local government
The 39,817 inhabitants of Nord-du-Québec include 13,000
Cree Indians, mostly living in the Jamésie region, and about 9,500
Inuit, 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 (Eeyou Istchee), represents all 9 Cree villages of northern Quebec. 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 whose residents participate in the Cree Regional Authority. The largest of the 5 municipalities is
Baie-James, almost entirely covering the Jamésie Territory.
The principal towns and villages of Nord-du-Québec are
Chibougamau (largest town in this region),
Chisasibi,
Mistissini and
Kuujjuaq.
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 Project. The "main road" of the region is the long
James Bay Road, a paved (albeit remote) extension of
Route 109 from
Matagammi to
Radisson. The long gravel
Route du Nord connects the James Bay Road to
Route 167 near
Chibougamau. The gravel
Trans-Taiga Road branches off the James Bay Road to
Caniapiscau, the northernmost connecting road in eastern North America.
The few provincial routes are concentrated in the far south of the region, including
Route 109 to
Matagami,
Route 113, which ends near
Chibougamau, and
Route 167 to
MistissiniThere 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 to Deception Bay, connecting to
Salluit. 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 GovernmentIndependent CitiesIndependent MunicipalityIndian ReserveCree VillagesCree Reserved TerritoriesMajor communities
See also
