Sept-Îles

This article covers the Canadian city of Sept-Îles. For the French archipelago see Sept Îles . For the archipelago in the Antarctic see Les Sept-Îles .

Sept-Îles
Satellite image of Sept-Îles
coat of arms
Location in Quebec
Sept-Îles
State :	Canada
Province :	Quebec
Administrative region :	Côte-Nord
MRC or equivalent :	Sept-Rivières
Coordinates :	50 ° 13 ′  N , 66 ° 23 ′  W Coordinates: 50 ° 13 ′  N , 66 ° 23 ′  W
Area :	1 969.42  km²
Residents :	25,686 (as of 2011)
Population density :	13 inhabitants / km²
Time zone :	Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 )
Municipality number:	97007
Postal code :	G4R, G4S
Mayor :	Réjean Porlier
Website :	[2]

Sept-Îles (French for "Seven Islands") or Uashat is a Canadian city ​​in the Côte-Nord region in eastern Québec with a population of 25,686.

geography

The place is located on the north coast of the St. Lawrence Gulf between the rivers Sainte-Marguerite and Moisie in a deep bay in front of a seven-island archipelago . The bay has a 45 km² natural seaport . The seven islands are:

• La Grosse Boule ("the big ball". Great Bull Island on a map from 1781 )
• La Petite Boule ("the little ball". Little Bull Island on a map from 1781 )
• La Grande Basque ("the great Basque", named after the Basque fishermen)
• La Petite Basque ("the little Basque")
• Île Manowin (French Montagnais ( manouane ): "where eggs are collected")
• Île du Corossol (after the French ship Corossol , which was stranded here in 1693); there is a lighthouse and a bird sanctuary here . (The name is often corrupted to Île du Carrousel )
• Îlets De Quen (a group of islands made up of various small islands, named after the Jesuit priest Jean de Quen , who founded a Catholic mission in the area in 1651 )

The archipelago is under the provincial jurisdiction, although some parts are administered by the federal government. The city comprises two Indian reservations ( First Nations reserves ): Uashat in the west of the city and Maliotenam in the east - near the Moisie River .

history

The first inhabitants were the Montagnais ( Innu ), who called the island Uashat ("big bay"). The discovery is attributed to the French Jacques Cartier . He sailed the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1535 and named the islands first Ysles Rondes ('circular islands'), later the area Sept-Îles . He wasn't the first European in the area. As it turned out, there were already Basque fishermen fishing here for whales and cod . A mission was established in 1651 and the first trading post in the area in 1661.

The early economic activities at the mouth of the Rivière Moisie, i.e. in today's Sept-Îles, included the settlement of Louis Joliet (1679) for the purpose of fur trade and later also fishing . Between 1690 and 1760 the trading post was burned down several times by English ship crews. The trade was later taken over by the Hudson's Bay Company , which had a fur trade monopoly until 1859.

The village became a parish in 1885. It received its first pier in 1908. At the turn of the century industrial whaling developed . In 1905 a Norwegian company built a whale oil factory on the bay. Around 75 whales were killed in the St. Lawrence River each year with steamboats and harpoons.

The place received city rights in 1951. In 2002, Sept-Îles was united with the municipalities of Gallix and Moisie .

economy

Due to the large iron ore deposits in Labrador City , mining plays a major economic role in the city. Canadian iron company Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) operates several mining areas in Labrador City. These degradation products are transported to the port of Sept-Îles on the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway and shipped for the global market. The city is home to the largest aluminum factory in North America , Aluminerie Alouette , which was massively expanded in 2005. This also created a need for additional workers in other industries. The port is also used by cruise ships.

About 8 kilometers east of the municipality is the Sept-Îles airport ( IATA code : YZV, ICAO code : CYZV). Furthermore, in the north of the municipality, on the Lac des Rapides , there is also a seaplane base (Transport Canada Identifier: CSM8).

Personalities

• Guy Carbonneau (* 1960), Canadian ice hockey player
• Karen Cliche (born 1976), Canadian actress
• Steve Duchesne (born 1965), Canadian ice hockey player
• Karl Dykhuis (* 1972), Canadian ice hockey player
• Guillaume Leblanc (* 1962), Canadian walker
• David Desrosiers (* 1980), Canadian musician

literature

• Daniel Tamien Vachon: L'histoire montagnaise de Sept-Iles. Editions Innu, [Quebec] 1985

Web links

Commons : Sept-Îles  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official site (French)
• Musée régional de la Côte-Nord City Museum (Engl.)
• Port of Sept-Îles Port Authority (Engl.)
• Secretariat aux affaires autochtones Administration of the indigenous peoples (Engl.)

Footnotes

1. ↑ http://ville.sept-iles.qc.ca/fr/conseil-municipal_92/
2. ↑ As of 2011; [1]
3. ^ Commission de toponymie Quebec: La Grosse Boule
4. ^ Commission de toponymie Quebec: La Petite Boule
5. ^ Commission de toponymie Quebec: La Grande Basque
6. ^ Commission de toponymie Quebec: La Petite Basque
7. ^ Commission de toponymie Quebec: Île Manowin
8. ^ Commission de toponymie Quebec: Île du Corossol
9. ^ Commission de toponymie Quebec: Îlets De Quen
10. ↑ http://ville.sept-iles.qc.ca/fr/histoire_6/
11. ^ Sept-Îles ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .