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Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine redirects here. For the municipality, see Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec. This article is about the municipality For the territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE and census division (CD of the same name see Magdalen

The Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands

The Magdalen Islands (French, Îles de la Madeleine) form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of 205. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people An archipelago (ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ is a chain or cluster of Islands The word archipelago literally means "chief Sea " from Italian Gulf of Saint Lawrence (French golfe du Saint-Laurent) the world's largest Estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint 53 square kilometers (79. 36 sq mi) (79. 36 sq mi). The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec. Prince Edward Island (ˌprɪns ˌɛdwɚd ˈaɪlɨnd ( PEI or P Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk

The islands form the territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census division (CD) of Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The term regional county municipality or RCM ( French: municipalité régionale de comté MRC) is used in the Canadian The census geographic units of Canada are the Country subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to Its geographical code is 01.

The islands also form the urban agglomeration of Îles-de-la-Madeleine, divided into two municipalities. An agglomeration, or urban agglomeration, is an administrative subdivision of Quebec at the local level that may group together a number of municipalities These are Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine (2006 census pop. This article is about the municipality For the territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE and census division (CD of the same name see Magdalen Statistics Canada (Statistique Canada is the Canadian federal government department commissioned with producing Statistics to help 12,560), the central municipality, and Grosse-Île (pop. An agglomeration, or urban agglomeration, is an administrative subdivision of Quebec at the local level that may group together a number of municipalities Grosse-Île is a municipality in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of the province of Quebec in Canada 531). The current mayors are Joël Arseneault and Christopher Clark. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government

Contents

Geography

There are nine major islands—Amherst (Havre-Aubert), Brion, Grand Entry (Grande entrée), Grindstone (Cap-aux-meules), Grosse-Ile, House Harbour (Havre-aux-maisons), Pointe-aux-Loups, Entry (Île_d'Entrée) and Bird Rock (Rocher aux oiseaux) — as well as numerous islets. Brion Island is in the middle of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The island is in the northern part of the Magdalen Islands, Archipelago belonging to the See also Grindstone Island, USA and Grindstone Island, Ontario, Canada. Entry Island (Île-d’Entrée in French is an Island off the east coast of the Magdalen Islands, which are part of the Canadian Province of Quebec

History

Jacques Cartier was the first European to visit the islands, in 1534. Jacques Cartier (December 31 1491&ndashSeptember 1 1557 was a French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France However, Mi'kmaq Indians had been visiting the islands for hundreds of years as part of a seasonal subsistence round, probably to harvest the abundant walrus population. The Míkmaq or Mi'kmaq (miːgmax sometimes spelled Micmac in English and formerly Mìgmaq ( Mi'gmaq) in Míkmaw) are a A number of archaeological sites have been excavated on the archipelago.

In 1755, the islands were inhabited by French-speaking Acadians. This article is about the Acadian people and culture The Acadians (Acadiens are the descendants of the seventeenth-century French When the British expelled the Acadians from the rest of what is now the Maritime Provinces of Canada, they did not come as far as the Magdalen Islands. The Great Upheaval, also known as the Great Expulsion, The Deportation, the Acadian Expulsion, or to the deportees Le Grand Dérangement, was The Maritime provinces, called the Maritimes in local English (or the Canadian Maritimes by non-Canadians is a region of Eastern Canada Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page To this day, many inhabitants of the Magdalen Islands (Madelinots) fly the Acadian flag and think of themselves as both Acadians and Québécois. A Québécois or Quebecois (pronounced) or in the feminine Québécoise (pronounced) (plural Québécoises) is a native or resident of the

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. Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation The Quebec Act of 1774 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (citation 14 Geo

A lighthouse at Les Caps
A lighthouse at Les Caps

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. Drift ice is Sea ice that floats on the surface of the water in cold regions as opposed to Fast ice, which is attached ("fastened" to a shore The inhabitants of the island could not even communicate with the mainland. In the winter of 1910, they sent an urgent request for help to the mainland by writing many letters and sealing them up inside a molasses barrel (or puncheon), which they set adrift. When this reached the shore, on Cape Breton Island, the government sent out an icebreaker to bring aid. Cape Breton Island ( French: île du Cap-Breton - formerly île Royale, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn, An icebreaker is a special purpose Ship or Boat designed to move and navigate through Ice -covered waters 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. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. 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 walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered Marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and The islands' beaches provide habitat for the endangered Piping Plover and the Roseate Tern. The Piping Plover ( Charadrius melodus) is a small Plover. The Piping Plover is a sand-colored sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal The Roseate Tern ( Sterna dougallii) is a Seabird of the Tern family Sternidae

Demographics

A segment of the population are descendants from survivors of the over 400 shipwrecks on the islands. A shipwreck can refer to a wrecked ship or to the event that caused the wreck such as the striking of something that causes the ship to sink the stranding of the ship on rocks 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. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States An Anglophone (or anglophone) is someone who speaks the English language. The adjective francophone (alternately Francophone) means French -speaking typically as primary language whether referring to individuals groups or places 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. A lighthouse is a Tower, building or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or in older times from a fire and used as an

In the 2001 Census, the archipelago was found to support a population of 12,824, down from 13,991 in 1991 – the official 2006 census figure is 13,091 – whose main occupations include lobster fishing. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish.

Tourism

Cliffs along the shore of Grosse Île
Cliffs along the shore of Grosse Île

Tourism is now a major industry in the Magdalen Islands, as in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, partly because of the depletion of the fish in the area. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Prince Edward Island (ˌprɪns ˌɛdwɚd ˈaɪlɨnd ( PEI or P Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally The islands are particularly appealing to French-speaking Québécois, who can enjoy the ocean and speak their native language. The island has many kilometres of white sand beaches, along with steadily eroding sandstone cliffs. It is an excellent destination for bicycle camping, sea kayaking, windsurfing and kitesurfing. The bicycle, cycle, or bike is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind A Sea kayak or touring kayak is a Kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes bays and the ocean Windsurfing is a surface water sport using a windsurf board also commonly called a sailboard usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail Kitesurfing, kiteboarding, uses wind power to pull a rider through the water on a small Surfboard or a kiteboard (which is like a Wakeboard) 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. Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is a form of Tourism that appeals to ecologically and socially conscious individuals The Harp Seal ( Phoca groenlandica; syn Pagophilus groenlandicus) is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Drift ice is Sea ice that floats on the surface of the water in cold regions as opposed to Fast ice, which is attached ("fastened" to a shore Gulf of Saint Lawrence (French golfe du Saint-Laurent) the world's largest Estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint

Transportation

A ferry service operates between Souris on Prince Edward Island and Cap-aux-Meules on the islands. Souris (2006 population 1232 is a Canadian port town in northeastern Kings County, Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (ˌprɪns ˌɛdwɚd ˈaɪlɨnd ( PEI or P Cap-aux-Meules is an unincorporated Canadian community located on Île du Cap aux Meules in Quebec 's Magdalen Islands. There is also an airport at Havre-aux-Maisons. Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport,, is located on the island of Havre-aux-Maisons near the central island of Cap-aux-Meules in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine (Magdalen Islands

See also

References

External links

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