Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality

Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent is a regional county municipality in the Côte-Nord region of far-eastern Quebec, Canada. It includes all communities along the Gulf of Saint Lawrence between the Natashquan River and the Newfoundland and Labrador border.

Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent
Location of Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent
Coordinates: 50°29′N 59°37′W / 50.483°N 59.617°W / 50.483; -59.617[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionCôte-Nord
EffectiveJuly 7, 2010
County seatCôte-Nord-du-
Golfe-du-St-Laurent
Government
 • TypePrefecture
 • PrefectRandy Jones
Area
 • Total
48,146.88 km2 (18,589.61 sq mi)
 • Land40,686.75 km2 (15,709.24 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[4]
 • Total
3,382
 • Density0.083/km2 (0.21/sq mi)
 • Pop (2016-21)
Decrease 6.7%
 • Dwellings
1,722
Area code(s)418 and 581
Websitemrcgsl.ca Edit this at Wikidata

It has a total area of 48,146.88 square kilometres (18,589.61 sq mi) according to Quebec's Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire (which includes coastal, lake, and river water territory),[3] and a land area of 40,686.75 square kilometres (15,709.24 sq mi) according to Statistics Canada. The population from the 2021 Canadian census was 3,382.[4]

Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent and the neighbouring Minganie Regional County Municipality are grouped into the single census division of Minganie–Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent (known as Minganie–Basse-Côte-Nord before 2010). The combined population at the 2021 census was 9,849.[5]

Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality was created in July 2010, replacing Basse-Côte-Nord, which was a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality. It is territorially much larger than Basse-Côte-Nord was, because at the time of its creation it received the (uninhabited) Petit-Mécatina unorganized territory in a transfer from Minganie Regional County Municipality.[6]

Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality is characterized by the absence of road connections between the villages that are spread out along its 375 kilometres (233 mi) shoreline of the gulf. Except for Blanc-Sablon, all communities are only accessible by boat or plane, although Quebec Route 138 is being planned to extend all along the coast. Since the early 1990s, the region's commercial fishing industry has seen a steep decline, but a tourism industry is being developed to promote hunting and fishing outfitters, among other activities.[1]

Subdivisions

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There are 6 subdivisions and one native reserve within the RCM:[2]

Demographics

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Historical census populations –
Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent RCM
YearPop.±%
2011 3,798—    
2016 3,545−6.7%
2021 3,382−4.6%
Excluding La Romaine and Pakuashipi reserves.
Source: Statistics Canada

Transportation

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Access Routes

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Highways and numbered routes that run through the municipality, including external routes that start or finish at the county border:[7]

River basins

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There are a number of large rivers that flow in a generally north–south direction through Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent to enter the Gulf. Near the coast the river basins tend to narrow in towards the river mouth, and between their mouths are areas that drain into the Gulf through smaller streams. From west to east, the larger river basins, which may cover parts of Labrador or Minganie, are:[8]

River Basin size Mouth coordinates Map link
km2 sq. mile
Kegaska 721 278 50°10′45″N 61°21′11″W / 50.1791667°N 61.3530556°W / 50.1791667; -61.3530556 EKVRF
Musquaro 3,638 1,405 50°12′29″N 61°03′41″W / 50.2080556°N 61.0613889°W / 50.2080556; -61.0613889 EHJBL
Musquanousse 338 131 50°12′40″N 60°57′46″W / 50.2111111°N 60.9627778°W / 50.2111111; -60.9627778 EHJBE
Washicoutai 1,558 602 50°15′02″N 60°48′52″W / 50.2505556°N 60.8144444°W / 50.2505556; -60.8144444 EIMJY
Olomane 5,426 2,095 50°14′00″N 60°38′20″W / 50.2333333°N 60.6388889°W / 50.2333333; -60.6388889 EHLXL
Coacoachou 408 158 50°16′39″N 60°17′40″W / 50.2775°N 60.2944444°W / 50.2775; -60.2944444 EFYLS
Étamamiou 3,014 1,164 50°16′51″N 59°58′44″W / 50.2808333°N 59.9788889°W / 50.2808333; -59.9788889 EGHQJ
Nétagamiou 229 88 50°28′10″N 59°36′26″W / 50.4694444°N 59.6072222°W / 50.4694444; -59.6072222 EHJYJ
Little Mécatina 19,590 7,560 50°39′24″N 59°25′46″W / 50.6566667°N 59.4294444°W / 50.6566667; -59.4294444 EHPVV
Gros Mécatina 1,054 407 50°46′06″N 59°05′40″W / 50.7683333°N 59.0944444°W / 50.7683333; -59.0944444 EGOUH
Véco 1,029 397 50°59′53″N 58°58′53″W / 50.9980556°N 58.9813889°W / 50.9980556; -58.9813889 EIKOR
Kécarpoui 696 269 51°03′43″N 58°50′02″W / 51.0619444°N 58.8338889°W / 51.0619444; -58.8338889 EGVDL
Saint-Augustin 9,892 3,819 51°13′04″N 58°38′08″W / 51.2177778°N 58.6355556°W / 51.2177778; -58.6355556 EHYVQ
Coxipi 1,672 646 51°18′16″N 58°28′51″W / 51.3044444°N 58.4808333°W / 51.3044444; -58.4808333 EGAGW
Chécatica 193 75 51°23′13″N 58°16′47″W / 51.3869444°N 58.2797222°W / 51.3869444; -58.2797222 EFWRJ
Napetipi 1,262 487 51°20′19″N 58°07′52″W / 51.3386111°N 58.1311111°W / 51.3386111; -58.1311111 EHJJP
Saint-Paul 7,158 2,764 51°28′10″N 57°42′05″W / 51.4694444°N 57.7013889°W / 51.4694444; -57.7013889 EIASD
Belles Amours 304 117 51°28′55″N 57°27′23″W / 51.4819444°N 57.4563889°W / 51.4819444; -57.4563889 EFMPJ
Brador 206 80 51°30′18″N 57°14′50″W / 51.505°N 57.2472222°W / 51.505; -57.2472222 EFQKI

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent (Municipalité régionale de comté)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  2. ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 982". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
  3. ^ a b Derived indirectly from Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation (MAMH) website, by summing up data for Blanc-Sablon (381.85 km2), Bonne-Espérance (1215.65 km2), Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent (3061.95 km2), Gros-Mécatina (1407.00 km2), Petit-Mécatina (39993.19 km2), and Saint-Augustin (2087.24 km2) total areas (total area given at website is 8,153.69 km2 which excludes the unorg. territory).
  4. ^ a b c "Table 98-10-0018-01 Population and dwelling counts: Regional county municipalities (RCM), Quebec". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Minganie--Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent, Census division (CDR) Quebec. 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  6. ^ Audrée Soucy (July 2010), "Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC)" (PDF), Modifications aux municipalités du Québec, Québec: Institut de la statistique du Québec, ISSN 1715-6408, archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2011, retrieved 2010-09-17
  7. ^ Official Transport Quebec Road Map
  8. ^ Portrait préliminaire de la zone de gestion intégrée de l'eau par bassin versant Duplessis (PDF) (in French), OBV Duplessis, April 2015, p. 20, retrieved 2019-09-29
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