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Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord
Region 09
	Motto(s): Between nature and excess
	Côte-Nord in Quebec territory
	Coordinates: 50°52′N 65°49′W / 50.867°N 65.817°W
Country	Canada
Province	Québec
Government
• Regional conference of elected officers	Micheline Anctil (President)
Area
• Total	300,281.83 km2 (115,939.46 sq mi)
• Land	247,655.33 km2 (95,620.26 sq mi)
	Total area includes disputed land within Labrador
Population (2016)
• Total	92,518
• Density	0.4/km2 (1/sq mi)
Time zones
Minganie and West of 63rd meridian west	UTC-05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-04:00 (EDT)
East of 63rd meridian west, except Minganie	UTC-04:00 (AST)
Website	Côte-Nord

Côte-Nord ( Region 09) (French: [kot nɔʁ], Quebec French: [kou̯t nɑɔ̯ʁ]; lit. 'North Coast') is an administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada.

The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from Tadoussac to the limits of Labrador, leaning against the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean to the west, the Côte-Nord penetrates deep into Northern Quebec.^[3]^[4]

With the motto: Between nature and excess, the Côte-Nord^[3] is made up of 99% public land, it is the second largest region after Nord-du-Québec, which occupies 51% of Quebec's territory.^[5]

History

The origins of the settlement of the Côte-Nord precede by a few millennia the population movements that began in the middle of the 19th century.

Archaeologists tell us that the main prehistoric cultures, called "archaic", were based on three sets of groups coming from the southwest, from as far away as the Great Lakes by the St. Lawrence River, those coming from the great plateaus of the interior and James Bay and those from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New England.^[6]^[7]

From the 14th to the 17th century, known history, the presence of Europeans in the regions of the North Shore and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence began with the periodic visits of the Basques and Breton fishermen. Until the advent of the World War II (1939-1945) the growth of the population occurred in concert with the development of the pulp and paper industry.

In the 1950s, mining caused massive immigration.

"... From Kegashka to Blanc-Sablon, the inhabitants are individualistic, dwell on Crown Lands — often as squatters — and keep jealously to their self-appropriated fishing spots, whence their dispersion." (Bussières, P., p.1, 1963)^[8]

Geography

The Côte-Nord is bounded to the west by the Capitale-Nationale and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean regions and, to the north, by the Nord-du-Québec region and by Labrador. To the south, it extends from Tadoussac to the east of Blanc-Sablon, encompassing Anticosti Island and part of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence.^[5]

Côte-Nord was created as an administrative region in 1966. Stretching over nearly 1,250 km and with an area of 196,058 km², the administrative region roughly includes the basins of all the rivers that flow into the St. Lawrence between Tadoussac and Blanc-Sablon.^[1]

Important landmarks of Côte-Nord include Anticosti Island, the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, and the Manicouagan Reservoir.

A territorial dispute between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador concerning the border between Côte-Nord and Labrador was set on 2 March 1927 by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The boundary was entrenched in the Canadian constitution upon Newfoundland joining confederation in 1949. While this border has not been formally accepted by the Quebec government, the Henri Dorion Commission^[9] (Commission d'étude sur l'intégrité du territoire du Québec) concluded in the early 1970s that Quebec no longer has a legal claim to Labrador.^[10]

Protection of natural heritage

Several portions of territory on the Côte-Nord are dedicated specifically to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity.^[11] The region has 262 wildlife habitats, 172 aquatic bird concentration areas, 12 heronries, 66 bird colonies on islands, peninsulas or cliffs, 4 muskrat habitats and 8 white-tailed deer containment areas on Anticosti Island.^[5]

Overwiew of the diversity

Geographical heritage
Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park
Wastishou Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, geological site
Sault Plat River, geological site
Anticosti Island UNESCO's World Heritage

Biological heritage
Epilobium angustifolium Linné. — Épilobe à feuilles étroites. — Bouquets rouges. — (Fireweed).
Spiranthes romanzoffiana Chamisso. – Spiranthe de Romanzoff. – (Romanzoff's ladies'-tresses).
Campanula rotundifolia Linné. – Campanule à feuilles rondes. – (Bluebell).
Ledum groenlandicum. — Lédon du Groenland. — Thé du Labrador, Thé velouté. — (Labrador Tea).
Rubus chamaemorus Linné. — Ronce petit-mûrier. — Mûres blanches, Blackbières, Plaquebières, Chicoutés. — (Cloudberry).

Fauna

The Côte-Nord has abundant and diversified wildlife resources spread throughout the territory.^[5] Each year, the Fur Trapping Agency publishes an information bulletin on the furbearers of the North Shore. Among the main prey, they are considered common to abundant and generally stable.

Lepus americanus. – Snowhoe hare. Lièvre d’Amérique
Sciurus vulgaris. — Écureuil roux. — (Red squirrel).
Mus musculus. — Souris grise. — (House mouse).

Species considered rare in the region.^[12]

Canis latrans. — Coyote. — (Coyote).
Mephitis mephitis. — Mouffette rayée. — (Striped skunk).
Pekania pennanti. — Pékan. — (Fisher).
Procyon lotor. — Raton laveur. — (Raccoon).
Lynx rufus. — Lynx roux. — (Bobcat)

Small game

Most well-known small game is and the Snowshoe hare and Grouses family species^[13]^[14]

Bonasa umbellus. — Gélinotte huppée. — (Ruffed grouse).
Canachites canadensis. — Tétras du Canada. — (Spruce grouse).
Lagopus lagopus. — Lagopède des saules. — (Willow Ptarmigan).

Mammals

The most well-known species are:

Martes. — Martes. — (Weasel).
Castor canadensis. — Castor du Canada. —North American Beaver.
Ondatra zibethicus. — Rat musqué. — (Muskrat).
Neovison vison. — Vison d'Amérique. — (Mink).
Vulpes vulpes. — Renard commun. — (Fox).
Canis lupus. — Loup. — (Wolf).
Gulo gulo. — Glouton, Carcajou. — (Wolverine)
Lynx canadensis. — Lynx du Canada. — (Canada lynx).^[16]^[17]

The large fauna includes:

Rangifer tarandus caribou. — Caribou des bois. — (Caribou).
Alces americanus. — Orignal, élan. — (Moose).
Odocoileus virginianus. — Cerf de Virginie, Chevreuil. — (White-tailed deer). Present only on Anticosti Island.
Ursus americanus. — Ours noir. — (Black bear). Considered extinct on Anticosti Island.^[5]

Avi-fauna

An important migratory stopover for birds, the Côte-Nord offers many favourite sites to observe 350 listed species at leisure.^[18]

The diversity of habitats favours the presence of many avian species. According to the Manicouagan Ornithology Club, a wide variety of birds have been observed on the Côte-Nord including:

Gavia stellata. — Plongeon catmarin. — (Red-throated loon).
Sterna paradisaea. — Sterne arctique. — (Arctic tern).
Fratercula arctica. — Le Macareux moine, Perroquet de mer ou Calculot. — (Atlantic puffin, Common puffin).
Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Pygargue à tête blanche. — (Bald eagle). is a species at risk or designated threatened or vulnerable.^[20]

Marine mammals

From Tadoussac to Blanc-Sablon, along The Whale Route (Route 138), it is possible to observe marine mammals.

Cetaceans:

Delphinapterus leucas. — Béluga, Bélouga, Baleine blanche, Marsouin. — (Beluga).
Balaenoptera acutorostrata. — Petit rorqual. — (Minke whale).
Balaenoptera physalus. — Rorqal commun. — (Fin whale).
Phocoena phocoena. — Marsouin commun. — (Harbor Porpoise).
Balaenoptera musculus. — Baleine bleue, Rorqual bleu. — (Blue whale).^[21]^[22]

Seals:

Halichoerus grypus. — Phoque gris. — (Grey Seal).
Phoca vitulina. — Phoque commun. — (Harbour Seal).
Pagophilus groenlandicus. — Phoque du Groenland. — (Harp Seal).

Economy

The hydrography of the Côte-Nord has always been considered over the centuries as a structuring element, whether for exchanges between indigenous nations, for the beginning of colonization, for logging and transport of wood and, more recently, for the development of hydroelectricity and recreational tourism.^[3]^[5]

Mining, forestry, hydroelectric power, aluminum processing and fishing constitute the main regional economic activities. These activities are confronted with global markets and natural and human upheavals which affect resources such as fires^[23] and insect epidemics.^[24]

The region has 121 companies that have permits for the exploitation of granite quarries, sand pits, gravel pits and peat bogs. The exploitation of the latter also represents 50% of Quebec production. Considering the presence of numerous peatlands throughout the territory, vast reserves of high quality are still unexploited.

The presence of major contract givers, access to the St. Lawrence Seaway, three major seaports (Baie-Comeau, Port-Cartier and Sept-Îles, as well as cruise ship ports of call), good air and rail transport in a territory with potential for tourist development constitute the main economic assets of the region.^[25]

In addition, with 2,400 kilometers of snowmobile trails, the region is appreciated by fans of this winter sport. The rights of way granted on public land to various snowmobile clubs contribute to the development of this form of winter tourism which boosts the local and regional economy.

Administrative divisions

Population

Between Sept-Îles and Natashquan, people arrive by sea, settle in complete freedom, without fees, depending on the salmon fishing at the mouths of the rivers, the banks of cod offshore, the trapping of fur-bearing animals in some cases and hunting seals other times.^[8]

At the 2016 Canadian Census, the population amounted to 92,518, approximately 1.1% of the province's population,^[2] spread across 33 municipalities, various Indian reserves and a Naskapi reserved land. The towns of Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles combined amount to a little more than half of the population of the region.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Côte-Nord region had a population of 88,525 living in 39,798 of its 45,263 total private dwellings, a change of -4.3% from its 2016 population of 92,518, making it the fastest-decreasing region of Québec. With a land area of 234,442.27 km² (90,518.67 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.4/km² (1.0/sq mi) in 2021.^[26]

The median age is 46.4, as opposed to 41.6 for all of Canada. French was the mother tongue of 84.9% of residents in 2021. The next most common mother tongues were the Cree-Innu languages at 7.8% total, followed by English at 4.5%. 0.6% reported both English and French as their first language. Additionally, there were 0.8% who reported both French and a non-official language as their mother tongue, mostly speakers of Cree-Innu languages.

Speakers of Cree-Innu languages mostly live in Pessamit and Uashat-Maliotenam. English speakers mostly live in Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality.

As of 2021, Indigenous peoples comprised 16.2% of the population and visible minorities contributed 1.5%. The largest visible minority groups in Côte-Nord are Black (0.7%), Arab (0.2%), and Latin American (0.2%). The region is home to 280 recent immigrants (i.e. those arriving between 2016 and 2021). 130 of them come from various African countries.

In 2021, 71.3% of the population identified as Catholic, while 19.6% said they had no religious affiliation. Anglicans were the largest religious minority, at 1.9% of the population, while Muslims were the largest non-Christian religious minority, making up 0.4% of the population.

Major communities

Baie-Comeau — Fermont — Forestville — Havre-Saint-Pierre — Port-Cartier — Sept-Îles

Exploration

The Côte-Nord region was gradually explored by French colonists during the centuries with the help of natives. However it is worth noting the contribution of Henry de Puyjalon (1841-1905), a pioneer in ecology who devoted his life to the exploration of this region.

References

Between nature and excess

^ ^a ^b "Côte-Nord". Quebec Gouvernement (in French). Commission de Toponymie Quebec. 1988-11-01. Retrieved 3 June 2024. This vast territory includes the RCMs of Caniapiscau, La Haute-Côte-Nord, Manicouagan, Sept-Rivières, Minganie and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Côte-Nord [Economic region], Quebec". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Côte-Nord (région 09)". Administrative regions of Quebec (in French). Gouvernement of Quebec. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024. Main cities : Sept-Îles, Baie-Comeau, Port-Cartier - Emerging economic sectors: mining, hydroelectricity, agri-food, tourism
^ "Administrative region 09: Côte-Nord, maps" (PDF). Quebec Gouvernement (in French). Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Quebec. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024. Maps and tables of the territories of the Regional County Municipalities (RCM) and their municipalities
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Sonia Burgess; Linda Coulombe; Lucie Rousseau (28 February 2007). "Portrait territorial - Côte-Nord" (PDF). Direction régionale de la gestion du territoire public de la Côte-Nord. Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife. p. 94. Retrieved 3 June 2024. Public land, knowledge, territorial portraits, lands and resources in the domain of the State
^ Pierre Frenette (2013). "The Gulf Historical Society" (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2024. a legacy left by the meeting of several worlds, including that of the Laurentian peoples, that of the indigenous peoples of the interior and those of the different maritime peoples of the Gulf of St. Laurent
^ "The prehistory of Quebec". Archeo-Quebec (in French). The archeology dissemination network. 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024. Archaic Native Americans exploited all available animal and plant resources. They live a seasonal nomadism
^ ^a ^b Paul Bussières (1963). "The population of the North Shore" (PDF). Erudit (in French and English). Quebec geography notebooks. pp. 1, 25 of 37. Retrieved 12 July 2024. when agriculture dominates, the « rang » System of rural settlement is prevalent ; below Sept-lies, the population concerned with fishing bas settled in small nuclei at short distance from its fisheries.
^ Henry Dorion (7 December 2001). "Quebec's borders: the state of the question" (PDF) (in French). Commission to Study Questions Relating to Québec's Accession to the sovereignty. p. 27. Retrieved 3 June 2024. the boundary will follow the watershed, the shoreline, a geodesic line, or that it will end at some topographical accident.
^ Arthur Krim, Boston Architectural College (2016–2024). "Urbanism and Iron Mining in Labrador". American Geographical Society. Focus on Geography. Retrieved 3 June 2024. On the western edge of Labrador, along the Quebec border, in the taiga forests of the subarctic, lie the richest deposits of iron ore in North America.
^ "Protected areas in Quebec" (in French). Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs. 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024. Protected areas are also recognized as an essential tool for adaptation to climate change. In particular, they allow carbon to be stored.
^ North Shore Wildlife Management Department (2022). "In the eye of the lynx" (PDF). Furbearer Bulletin of the region (in French). Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks Quebec. Retrieved 4 June 2024. The marten is one of the most prized species by trappers, as it is relatively easy to capture because of its curiosity and, until recently, its fur was of good value.
^ Dr. W. Shufeldt (19 September 1881). "Osteology of the North American Tetraonidae" (PDF). Department of interior United States Geological and Geographical survey. Retrieved 8 July 2024. No country in the world can boast of a fairer collection of species of these noble birds than we find among the six North American genera,
^ Laurence N. Ellison (2008). "Grouse: Wildlife Notebook Series" (PDF). Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved 8 July 2024. Principal fall foods include blueberries, high bush cranberries, rose hips, and aspen buds
^ "The black bear in our forests" (PDF). Appalachian Corridor ACA (in French). 11 November 2003. Retrieved 9 July 2024. It is frequently encountered at near streams, rivers or lakes as well as on the edge
^ "Area Furbearer Bulletin" (PDF). Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (in French). Dans l’œil du lynx. 2022. p. 6. Retrieved 3 June 2024. Coyote, skunk, fisher, raccoon and bobcat are considered rare in the Côte-Nord region.
^ "In the eye of the lynx" (PDF).
^ "Ornithology". Quebec sea side (in French). Maritime Quebec. Retrieved 15 June 2024. The regions of maritime Quebec are home to hundreds of species of birds, which you can observe in the natural environment.
^ Richards C; Padget O, Guilford T; Bates AE (31 October 1921). "Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) rafting behaviour revealed by GPS tracking and behavioural observations". An official website of the United States government. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 7 July 2024. Before visiting or leaving their remote island colonies, seabirds often engage in a behaviour termed 'rafting', where birds sit, often in groups, on the water close to the colony.
^ Robert, Michel; Marie-Hélène Hachey; Denis Lepage; Andrew.R. Couturier (dir.) (2019). "Second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Southern Québec". Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment and Climate Change Canada. p. 694. The Atlas provides the most up-to-date information on the distribution and abundance of 253 species of birds that breed in Quebec below 50.5° north latitude
^ "Come see the whales". Côte-Nord, between nature and excess. North Shore Tourism. 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024. The tide, the underwater relief and the currents generate phenomenal concentrations of fish and plankton. No wonder the St. Lawrence is one of the best places in the world for whale watching: it's a real open-air buffet!
^ "Blue whale (WWF)". World Wildlife Fund. 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024. The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, weighing as much as 200 tons (approximately 33 elephants).
^ G. Lajoie; J. Portier (16 December 2022). "Impacts of forest fires on the Quebec forestry sector in a variable and evolving climate" (PDF) (in French). p. 20. Somes fires can be devastating for communities, they are however essential to functioning, productivity and regeneration of the boreal forest in a natural environment
^ Valérie Aucoin; Julie Bouchard; Réjean Dostie; Simon Fortier; Cédric Fournier; Karelle Jayen; Denis Lévesque; Pierre Therrien. "Insects, diseases and fires in Quebec forests in 2016" (PDF). Quebec Gouvernement (in French). Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Forest Protection Directorate, Forest Pest Management Service. p. 52. The objective is to limit defoliation by the insect in targeted forest stands in order to keep the trees alive
^ "Côte-Nord intervention strategy". Gouvernement of Canada. Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2024. Promising projects that foster the economic development of Indigenous communities (business projects, studies & mobilization plans related to tourism, biofoods and, production of goods).
^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. October 25, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.