The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint
Lawrence with a land area of 205.53 square kilometres. Though closer to
Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian
province of Quebec. The islands form the territory
equivalent to a regional county municipality and census division of Les
Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Its geographical code is 01.
The islands also form the urban agglomeration of Les
Îles-de-la-Madeleine, divided into two municipalities. These are Les
Îles-de-la-Madeleine, the central municipality, and Grosse-Île. The mayors
are Jonathan Lapierre and Rose Elmonde Clarke.
Geography There are eight major islands:
Havre-Aubert, Grande Entrée, Cap aux Meules, Grosse-Île, Havre aux Maisons,
Pointe-Aux-Loups, Île d'Entrée and Brion. All except Brion are inhabited.
There are several other tiny islands that are also considered part of the
archipelago: Rocher aux Oiseaux, Île aux Loups-marins, Île Paquet and Rocher du
Corps Mort. The islands' interiors were once
completely covered with pine forests. An ancient salt dome underlies the
archipelago. The inherent buoyancy of the salt forces the uplift of overlying
Permian red sandstone. Nearby salt domes are believed to be
sources of fossil fuels. Rock salt is mined on the Islands.
History Jacques Cartier was the first European
to visit the islands, in 1534. However, Mi'kmaqs had been visiting the islands
for hundreds of years as part of a seasonal subsistence round probably to
harvest the abundant walrus population. A number of archaeological sites have
been excavated on the archipelago. It was named in 1663 by the seigneur of
the island, François Doublet, after his wife, Madeleine Fontaine. In 1765, the
islands were inhabited by 22 French-speaking Acadians and their
families. They were working and hunting walruses for Richard Gridley. To this
day, many inhabitants of the Magdalen Islands fly the Acadian flag and think
of themselves as both Acadians and Québécois.
The islands were administered as part of the Colony of Newfoundland from 1763
until 1774, when they were joined to Quebec by the Quebec Act.
A segment of the population are descendants from survivors of the over
400 shipwrecks on the islands. The islands are the location of some of
Quebec's oldest English-speaking settlements, and although the majority
of anglophones have since been assimilated with the francophone
population or migrated elsewhere, there are still English-speaking settlements
at Old Harry, Grosse-Ile, and Entry Island. As well as the English-speaking
settlements, the islands are known for their world famous children's French
camp. Activities include sand-castle competitions and a night alone in the
woods. Lighthouses were eventually set up, and
this reduced the number of shipwrecks, but there are still many old hulks on
the beaches and under the waters. Until the 20th century, the islands were
completely isolated during the winter, since the pack ice made the trip to the
mainland impassable by boat. The inhabitants of the island could not even
communicate with the mainland. In the winter of 1910 the underwater cable that
allowed telegraphic communication broke. The population of the islands sent an
urgent request for help to the mainland by writing many letters and sealing them
up inside a molasses barrel, which they set adrift. When this reached the shore,
on Cape Breton Island, the government sent out an icebreaker to bring aid.
Within a few years, the Magdalens were given one of the new wireless telegraph
stations so that the inhabitants could at least have some communication in the
winter. The puncheon is now famous, and every tourist shop sells replicas.
At one time, large walrus herds were found near the islands but they had been
eliminated due to overhunting by the end of the 18th century. The islands'
beaches provide habitat for the endangered piping plover and the roseate
tern. Demographics
= Population = = Language =
Climate The maritime climate enjoyed by Magdalen
Islands is markedly different from that of the mainland. The huge water masses
that circle the archipelago temper the weather and create milder conditions in
each season. On the islands, winter is mild, spring is cool, there are few heat
waves in summer, and fall is typically warm. The Magdalen Islands have the
least amount of annual frost in the Province of Québec. The warm breezes of
summer persist well into September, and sometimes early October.
Tourism Tourism is a major industry on the
Magdalen Islands. The islands have many kilometres of white sand beaches, along
with steadily eroding sandstone cliffs. They are a destination for bicycle
camping, sea kayaking, windsurfing and kitesurfing. During the winter months,
beginning in mid-February, eco-tourists visit to observe new-born and young harp
seal pups on the pack ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence surrounding the islands.
Industry The island is home to Canadian Salt
Company Seleine Mines, which produces road salt for use in Quebec, Atlantic
Canada and the United States' eastern seaboard. Opened in 1982, the salt mine
and plant is located in Grosse-Île and extracts salt from an underground mine
30 metres below Grande-Entrée Lagoon. It produces 1 million tons of salt, and
employs 200 people. Transportation
The Coopérative de transport maritime et aérien operates a ferry service between
terminals in Souris, Prince Edward Island and Cap-aux-Meules. Groupe
C.T.M.A. also operates a seasonal cruise ferry service between the islands and
Montreal. The Magdalen Islands Airport at
Havre-aux-Maisons offers scheduled air service to Labrador and mainland Quebec.
See also List of regional county municipalities
and equivalent territories in Quebec Quebec Route 199, the only provincial
highway on the islands Coopérative de transport maritime et
aérien, the ferry company serving the Magdalen Islands
Municipal reorganization in Quebec List of Quebec regions
Coins of the Magdalen Islands. References
External links Municipalité des Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Municipalités et villes de la Gaspésie Magdalen Islands tourist association
The official tourist site of the islands Quebec tourism information on the
Magdalen Islands including a map