Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Encyclopedia
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. It is also known as Sagamie in French, from the first part of "Saguenay" and the last part of "Piekouagami", the Innu
name (meaning "flat lake") for Lac Saint-Jean
, with the final "e" added to follow the model of other existing region names such as Mauricie
, Témiscamie, Jamésie, and Matawinie. http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/gentiles/lesgentilesliste.aspx?L=t The name Saguenay is possibly derived from the Innu
word "Saki-nip" which means "where water flows out". http://www.histoirequebec.qc.ca/publicat/vol5num1/v5n1_6ri.htm http://www.ourroots.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=4639 With a land area of 98,708.62 km2 (38,111.61 sq mi), the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is, after the Nord-du-Québec
and Côte-Nord
regions, the third largest of Quebec regions in area
.
This region is bathed by two major watercourses, Lac Saint-Jean and the Saguenay River
, both of which mark its landscape deeply and have been the main drives of its development in history
. It is also irrigated by several other large watercourses. Bordered by forests and mountainous massifs, the region constitutes a fertile enclave in the Canadian Shield
. Both the scenery and the cultural sites and activities of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean attract tourists every year. Lac Saint-Jean is a popular vacation destination in the summer for residents of the more urban regions of Quebec.
The region is considered the heartland of the Quebec sovereignty movement
.
The beauty of the region can be seen in the 1991 film Black Robe
, directed by Bruce Beresford
.
of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region was 272,610 at the 2006 census
, representing 3.6 % of Quebec's population. It is concentrated primarily in three clusters: the city of Saguenay
(born of the merging of the cities of La Baie
, Chicoutimi, Jonquière and a few smaller communities) (pop. 143,692), the city of Alma
(pop. 29,998) and the agglomeration of Roberval
(pop. 10,544), Saint-Félicien
(pop. 10,477) and Dolbeau-Mistassini (pop. 14,546). Saguenay, the region's largest city, is located slightly west of the fjord
, mostly south of the river.
.
Regional County Municipalities
Independent City
Indian Reserve
Sources: Government of Quebec, 2003;
Statistics Canada, 2006 Census
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 contains the Saguenay Fjord
Saguenay Fjord
The Saguenay Fjord were an ice hockey team in Saguenay, Quebec. They played in the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey from 2002-2005. The club was founded as Saguenay Paramedic in 2002, in 2004, they changed to Saguenay Fjord.-External Links:*...
, the estuary of the Saguenay River
Saguenay River
The Saguenay River is a major river of Quebec, Canada.It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east, and passes the city of Saguenay. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River at Tadoussac....
, stretching through much of the region. It is also known as Sagamie in French, from the first part of "Saguenay" and the last part of "Piekouagami", 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...
name (meaning "flat lake") for Lac Saint-Jean
Lac Saint-Jean
Lac Saint-Jean is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated 206 kilometres north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area of 1003 km² Lac Saint-Jean is a large, relatively...
, with the final "e" added to follow the model of other existing region names such as 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...
, Témiscamie, Jamésie, and Matawinie. http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/gentiles/lesgentilesliste.aspx?L=t The name Saguenay is possibly derived from 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...
word "Saki-nip" which means "where water flows out". http://www.histoirequebec.qc.ca/publicat/vol5num1/v5n1_6ri.htm http://www.ourroots.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=4639 With a land area of 98,708.62 km2 (38,111.61 sq mi), the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is, after the Nord-du-Québec
Nord-du-Québec
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....
and Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord is the second largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec...
regions, the third largest of Quebec regions in area
Area
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
.
This region is bathed by two major watercourses, Lac Saint-Jean and the Saguenay River
Saguenay River
The Saguenay River is a major river of Quebec, Canada.It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east, and passes the city of Saguenay. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River at Tadoussac....
, both of which mark its landscape deeply and have been the main drives of its development in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. It is also irrigated by several other large watercourses. Bordered by forests and mountainous massifs, the region constitutes a fertile enclave in the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
. Both the scenery and the cultural sites and activities of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean attract tourists every year. Lac Saint-Jean is a popular vacation destination in the summer for residents of the more urban regions of Quebec.
The region is considered the heartland of the Quebec sovereignty movement
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
.
The beauty of the region can be seen in the 1991 film Black Robe
Black Robe (film)
Black Robe is a 1991 film directed by Bruce Beresford. The screenplay was written by Northern Irish-Canadian author Brian Moore, who adapted it from his novel of the same name....
, directed by Bruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 40-year career.-Early life:...
.
Population
The populationPopulation
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region was 272,610 at the 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....
, representing 3.6 % of Quebec's population. It is concentrated primarily in three clusters: the city of Saguenay
Saguenay, Quebec
Saguenay is a city in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City....
(born of the merging of the cities of La Baie
La Baie, Quebec
La Baie is a borough of the city of Saguenay, Quebec, located where the Rivière à Mars flows into the Baie des Ha! Ha!, a bay of the Saguenay River. Formerly an independent city, its population in 2006 was 19,639....
, Chicoutimi, Jonquière and a few smaller communities) (pop. 143,692), the city of Alma
Alma, Quebec
Alma is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec.-Geography:Alma is located on the southeast coast of Lac Saint-Jean where it flows into the Saguenay River, in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, approximately 175 km north of Quebec City...
(pop. 29,998) and the agglomeration of Roberval
Roberval, Quebec
Roberval is a city on the south-western shore of Lac Saint-Jean in the Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. With a population of 10,544 in the Canada 2006 Census, it is the third largest city on this lake after Alma and Dolbeau-Mistassini.It is the seat of the...
(pop. 10,544), Saint-Félicien
Saint-Félicien, Quebec
Saint-Félicien is a city in the Canadian province of Quebec. The town is located within the Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. Its population as of 2006 is 10,477.-Geography:...
(pop. 10,477) and Dolbeau-Mistassini (pop. 14,546). Saguenay, the region's largest city, is located slightly west of the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
, mostly south of the river.
Subdivisions
Following the Saguenay municipal reorganization in 2002, the region now counts 49 municipalitiesMunicipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
.
Regional County Municipalities
- MRC du Fjord-du-SaguenayLe Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality, QuebecLe Fjord-du-Saguenay is a Regional County Municipality in northeastern Quebec, Canada in the region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. The seat is in the City of Saguenay which is actually a separate census division. The RCM is named for the fjord part of the Saguenay River, protruding out of the...
(pop. 20,025) - MRC Lac-Saint-Jean-EstLac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality, QuebecLac-Saint-Jean-Est is a regional county municipality in northeastern Quebec, Canada. The county seat is in Alma. In 2006 it was 99.5% French-speaking.-Communities:* Cities & Towns** Alma** Desbiens** Métabetchouan–Lac-à-la-Croix...
(pop. 51,170) - MRC Domaine-du-RoyLe Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality, Quebecright|300pxLe Domaine-du-Roy is a Regional County Municipality in northeastern Quebec, Canada. Its seat is in Roberval, Quebec. It is named for the King of France, who at the time of the colonization of Quebec owned this land...
(pop. 31,956) - MRC Maria-ChapdelaineMaria-Chapdelaine Regional County Municipality, QuebecMaria-Chapdelaine is a Regional County Municipality in northeastern Quebec, Canada. Its seat is in Dolbeau-Mistassini. The RCM runs from Lac Saint-Jean in the south to the deep interior of northern Quebec in the north...
(pop. 25,767)
Independent City
- SaguenaySaguenay, QuebecSaguenay is a city in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City....
(pop. 143,692)
Indian Reserve
- MashteuiatshMashteuiatsh, QuebecMashteuiatsh is a First Nations reserve in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, about north from the centre of Roberval. It is located on a headland jutting out on the western shores of Lake Saint-Jean known as Pointe-Bleue, in the geographic township of Ouiatchouan, and belongs...
within Le Domaine-du-Roy, (pop. 1,749 MontagnaisInnuThe 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...
)
Sources: Government of Quebec, 2003;
Statistics Canada, 2006 Census
External links
- Portail du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Official website
- saguenay lac st jean Tourisme Alma