Sept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada. It is the northernmost town in Quebec with any significant population. It is among the northernmost locales with a paved connection to the rest of Quebec’s road network. The population was 25,686 as of the Canada 2011 Census. The only settlements on the paved road network that are farther north are Fermont, Radisson and Chisasibi, the latter two in the extreme western portion of the province at the north end of the James Bay Road. The remaining settlements at higher latitudes in the province are mostly isolated Cree, Innu, or Inuit villages, with access limited to seasonal gravel roads.
With the iron ore business, the Sept-Îles deep-water seaport was second in Canada only to Vancouver in terms of yearly tonnage. The huge engineering project led to a major increase in population, and housing was quickly built to accommodate them. The town grew from 2,000 inhabitants in 1951 to 14,000 in 1961, and 31,000 in 1981. The decline in worldwide iron ore prices in recent decades has since caused employment and population to decrease.
The first inhabitants of the area were varying cultures of indigenous peoples. The historic Montagnais or Innu people, who called it Uashat (“Great Bay”), lived there at the time of European encounter. Jacques Cartier sailed by the islands in 1535 and made the first written record of them, calling them the Ysles Rondes (“Round Islands”). He was not the first European in the area, as he encountered Basque fishermen who came annually from Europe for whaling and cod fishing. Early European economic activity in Sept-Îles was based on fishing and the fur trade. Louis Joliet established trading posts by 1679. Great Britain took over Canada from France in 1763 after its victory in the Seven Years War. In 1842 the Hudson’s Bay Company founded another post at this location. The village was incorporated into a municipality in 1885.
The city of Sept-Îles has accentuated the development of its tourism industry in order to place it at the forefront of the Quebec tourist industry. In 2010, the city witnessed its second consecutive year of major cruise ships stopping over. In 2009, it saw the docking of two important cruise ships: the MS Maasdam and the Norwegian Spirit. This new activity is strongly promoted and directed by the corporation Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu, and financed by different levels of government, tourist corporations, and by the administration of the Innu community. The construction of a new wharf at the cost of CAD 20 million is under way for future cruise stop overs.
HistoryEdit
N.A.
Places to VisitAdd
How to ReachEdit
By Air : N.A.
By Train :N.A.
By BUS :N.A.
By Taxi :N.A.
By Other :N.A.
Top HotelsAdd
Top RestaurantsAdd
Must Eat FoodAdd
Must Do ActivitiesAdd
Must ShopAdd
Nightlife (Pub / Disc / BAR)Add
SpaAdd
FestivalAdd
Safety / WarningEdit
N.A.
HelplineEdit
N.A.
ItineraryEdit
N.A.
Gallery