James Bay
| James Bay Baie James |
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|---|---|---|
| Waters | Hudson Bay | |
| Land mass | North America | |
| Geographical location | 53 ° 5 ′ N , 80 ° 35 ′ W | |
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| width | approx. 217 km | |
| depth | approx. 443 km | |
| Medium water depth | 60 m | |
| Islands | Akimiski Island , Charlton Island , North Twin Island , South Twin Island | |
| Tributaries | Ekwan River , Attawapiskat River , Albany River , Moose River , Rivière Harricana , Rivière Broadback , Rivière Nottaway , Rivière Rupert , Rivière Pontax , Rivière Eastmain , La Grande Rivière | |
 James Bay in the winter of 2001 |
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The James Bay ( French Baie James ; rarely eingedeutscht: James Bay or James Bay ) is the southern part of Hudson Bay in Canada . Its coast borders the provinces of Québec and Ontario .
The bay itself and thus the islands in the bay are part of the Nunavut territory . There are numerous hydropower plants in the catchment area of James Bay , and the tributaries to the bay are a popular recreational area.
history
The bay became famous in Europe in 1610 when Henry Hudson first visited it while exploring the larger Hudson Bay named after him. The Baie James is named in honor of Thomas James , an English captain who surveyed the area in 1631.
As one of the climatically more friendly places in the region around the Hudson Bay, the Baie James is notable in the history of Canada, also because of its importance for the Hudson's Bay Company and the British expansion into other parts of Canada. Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard Chouart, Sieur des Groseilliers founded Rupert House (today: Waskaganish), the first port for the fur trade on the Baie James according to a contract with Charles II. The fur trade continued in the region until the 1940s, however, James Bay lost its importance. Despite everything, it was the gateway to British colonization in what would later become Manitoba and in the west as far as the Rocky Mountains .
Development projects
In recent years, the James Bay gained importance again through the Baie James hydropower project ( Projet de la Baie James ). In Québec, a large part (97%) of electricity is generated by hydropower plants, and the provincial government has been building such power plants in the Baie James area since 1971 , especially on the La Grande River with a length of 893 km.
Another project that was under discussion is the Great Recycling and Northern Development (GRAND) Canal . In the last few decades, different variants have been discussed, the current proposal is to cross the southern part of Baie James by a large dike from the Hudson Separate Bay. This part would through the numerous tributaries to a freshwater lake, which could be used for the drinking water supply of the region. However, it is very unlikely that the GRAND Canal will ever be built.
tourism
James Bay has hundreds of tributaries, which, due to the nature of the area, often have very similar properties. In the mouth area towards the bay ( James Bay Lowlands or Basses terres de la baie James ) they are rather wide and flat, but in the upper reaches they are mostly deeply cut and steep. White water kayaking is available in many rivers . The river missinaibi river Ontario, also known as Canadian Heritage River is known, is the most famous thereof.
Moosonee , Ontario is the starting point for many such trips, as many rivers flow into the Baie James around Moosonee. Many vacationers then take the Polar Bear Express , a train, south to Cochrane . Waskaganish is a city further northeast on James Bay. It has also been accessible by road for a number of years and is a popular starting point for excursions on the Broadback , Pontax or Rupert rivers .
Islands
There are several islands in the bay, the largest of which are Akimiski , Charlton, North Twin, and South Twin, all of which are part of Nunavut Territory .
literature
- Peter Dörrenbächer: Baie-James - institutionalization of a region. Use of hydropower in Northern Quebec and the emergence of regional self-government structures of the Cree Indians. Saarbrücken 2003, ISBN 3-92452548-X . (Department of Geography at Saarland University; Saarbrücken geographic work; 48)
- Dietrich Soyez: Hydro energy from the north of Québec: on the problem of the mega-projects on the Baie James, in: Geographische Rundschau , 44. Westermann, Braunschweig 1992, pp. 494–501
- Dietrich Soyez: La Baie James: faut-il 'repatrier' ou 'mondialiser' de débat? In: Journal for Canada Studies, vol. 15. Wißner, Augsburg 1995. H. 1, pp. 125 - -141
Web links
- Hayeur, Gaëtan. 2001. Synthèse des connaissances environnementales acquises en milieu nordique 1970-2000. Montréal: Hydro-Québec ( English edition )
- Quebec Tourism (French, English)
- Ontario Tourism (English, French)
- Great Council of the Cree (English, French)