Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)
| Belle Isle | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Waters | Belle Isle Strait ( Atlantic Ocean ) | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 56 ′ N , 55 ° 22 ′ W | |
|
||
| length | 17 km | |
| width | 6 km | |
| surface | 52 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 213 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
 |
||
Belle Isle (old French for "beautiful island") is an approximately 52 km² island off the coast of Labrador and the northern tip of Newfoundland and belongs to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in eastern Canada . The island owes its name to the French explorer Jacques Cartier .
The distance of the 17 km long and up to 6 km wide island to the Canadian mainland is almost 24 km, as is that to Newfoundland. The narrow strait between the Labrador peninsula and the island of Newfoundland, which is less than 17 km narrow and connects the Gulf of St. Lawrence with the open Atlantic as the Belle Isle Strait , is named after her . Belle Isle lies at its northeastern opening to the Atlantic Ocean , and thus on the sea route north to Hudson Bay and the Northwest Territories as well as on the shortest shipping route that connects Europe to the Great Lakes of North America via the Saint Lawrence Seaway .
At its highest point, Belle Isle reaches a height of approximately 213 m (699 ft ) above sea level. Geologically, the summit is a northerly continuation of the Long Range Mountains of Newfoundland and thus also of the Appalachians . There is a lighthouse each on the north and south tips of Belle Isle . The island is not inhabited all year round, only during the fishing season. In the surrounding waters, depending on the weather, the Labrador Current meets the current coming from the west from the Belle Isle Strait.
Web links
- Strait of Belle Isle ecoregion
- Captain James Cook : Chart of The Strait of Belle Isle and Belle Isle .
- Belle Isle, Canada . In: NASA Earth Observatory newsroom . Retrieved April 27, 2006.