Pointe-aux-Outardes is a village 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, on the southern point of the Manicouagan Peninsula between the mouths of the Outardes and Manicouagan River

Manicouagan River

The Manicouagan River is a river in Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. The river originates at the Daniel-Johnson Dam of the Manicouagan Reservoir and flows approximately south, emptying into the Saint Lawrence River near Baie-Comeau...

s.

The place is named after a piece of land that juts out into the Saint Lawrence River

Saint Lawrence River

The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...

 and partially encloses the Outardes Bay: Pointe aux Outardes. It literally means "Point of Bustard

Bustard

Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World...

s", but Outarde can also be translated as "Canada goose

Canada Goose

The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....

". In fact, Canada geese and snow geese

Snow Goose

The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...

 use the nearby Manicouagan River as a corridor in their annual migration and stopover at the point. The Innu

Innu

The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan , which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador...

 called it Piletipistu Neshkâu, meaning "point of the Partridge River". But the term Outardes was used on Guérard's map of 1631 and on Franquelin

Jean-Baptiste-Louis Franquelin

Jean-Baptiste-Louis Franquelin was born at Saint-Michel de Villebernin, France in 1651. He died in France around 1712. He was a cartographer, a royal hydrographer, and a teacher of navigation. He was also the first official cartographer in Canada....

's map of 1685 to identify the river that flows past the point into the St. Lawrence.

Pointe-aux-Outardes is exceptionally rich in flora and fauna. Among its salt marshes, more than 175 species of birds have been counted.

Demographics

Population trend:

• Population in 2006: 1443 (2001 to 2006 population change: 2.1 %)
• Population in 2001: 1413
• Population in 1996: 1339
• Population in 1991: 1109

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 596 (total dwellings: 661)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 0 %
• French as first language: 97.6 %
• English and French as first language: 0 %
• Other as first language: 2.4 %