Wikipedia

Charlevoix

For other uses, seeCharlevoix (disambiguation).

Charlevoix(/ˈʃɑːrləvwɑː/SHAR-lə-vwah,[1]French:[ʃaʁləvwa]) is aculturalandnatural regioninQuebec,on the north shore of theSaint Lawrence Riveras well as in theLaurentian Mountainsarea of theCanadian Shield.This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands, and bays; the region was designated aWorldBiosphere ReservebyUNESCOin 1989. Administratively, it comprises theCharlevoixandCharlevoix-Estregional county municipalitieswithin the largerCapitale-Nationaleadministrative region.

Charlevoix
Region
Looking north across the hills of Charlevoix from Baie-Saint-Paul
Looking north across the hills of Charlevoix fromBaie-Saint-Paul
Charlevoix is located in Quebec
Charlevoix
Charlevoix
Location of Charlevoix inQuebec
Charlevoix is located in Canada
Charlevoix
Charlevoix
Location of Charlevoix inCanada
Coordinates:47°39′N70°09′W/ 47.650°N 70.150°W/47.650; -70.150
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
Administrative regionCapitale-Nationale
Major settlements
List
Time zoneUTC−05:00(EST)
• Summer (DST)UTC−04:00(EDT)
Postal code prefixes
G

History

edit

The region was named afterPierre François-Xavier de Charlevoix,aFrenchJesuitexplorer and historian who travelled through the area in the 18th century. The community ofLa Malbaiewas known as the first resort area in Canada. As early as 1760, Scottish noblemen Malcolm Fraser and John Nairne hosted visitors at their manors.[citation needed]For much of its history, Charlevoix was home to a thrivingsummer colonyof wealthy Americans, including PresidentWilliam Howard Taft.[2]

Geography

edit
Charlevoix is known for its hilly landscape.

From an administrative point of view, the "Charlevoix region" does not exist in itself, but is rather made up of theregional county municipalitiesofCharlevoix-EstandCharlevoix.

Features of note include:

Natural history

edit

The topography of this region was dramatically altered by ameteoriteimpact that occurred 350 million years ago creating theCharlevoix impact structure:

The impact created the forty-mile-wide crater that is the heart of Quebec's Charlevoix region, ranging from just west of Baie-Saint-Paul to just east of La Malbaie. Today, the area inside the crater is home to 90 percent of Charlevoix residents and is a very pastoral setting by comparison to what it could have been.[3]

This area was subsequently reshaped byglaciationduring thelast ice age.

There have been several majorearthquakesin the region in recorded history:

Ecological characteristics

edit
Landscape just outsideTadoussac

Situated some 80 km east of Quebec City, Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve borders the Saint Lawrence River to the south.[4]Extending from 5 to 1,150 metres above sea level, the area comprises agricultural areas, river ecosystems,estuarinetidal marshesand flats, coniferous and mixed forests, stunted vegetation (krummholz) andmountain tundraecosystems.[4]

Maple forests including paper birch (Betula papyriferae), alder (Alnus spp.) and elm (Ulmus spp.) and with an understory of sumac (Rhus typhina),Acer pensylvanicumandCornus alternifolia;mixed fir (Abies sp.) forest withCorylus cornuta,Sambucus pubensandTaxus canadensis;boreal forestsup to an altitude of 300 metres with fir and spruce (Picea spp.); estuarine tidal marsh and flats dominated byScirpus americanusmeadows includingZizania palustris,Sagittaria cuneataandS. latifolia;tundra withericaceouszones consisting ofKalmia spp.,Ledum groenlandicum;stunted vegetation community (krummholz) withPicea marianaandAbies balsamea;agro-ecosystems with cereals, fruits and legumes, and river ecosystems.[4]

Animal species in the area include beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), wolf (Canis lupus), boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou),North American cougar(Puma concolor couguar) and blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus).[4]

Socio-economic characteristics

edit

About 30,000 people live in the biosphere reserve (1988), which covers 457,000 hectares. In former times, the population of Charlevoix used to rely on the river and the sea, for example on coastal navigation, marine constructions and fisheries (e.g. beluga, eel).[4]

Today, the economic landscape has diversified and major factors in the local economy are now forestry, silica mining, agriculture and tourism.[4]The forest education centre ‘Les Palissades’ or the ecological centre ‘Port-au-Saumon’ are important institutions for environmental education in the area.[4]

Transportation

edit
TheTrain de Charlevoixtaking on passengers atBaie-Saint-Paulstation in August 2012

Quebec Route 138is the major highway through the region, which closely follows the shoreline of theSaint Lawrence River.BetweenBaie-Saint-PaulandLa Malbaie,the highway turns inland withQuebec Route 362serving the riverside communities ofLes ÉboulementsandSaint-Irénée.

TheTrain de Charlevoix,atourist rail service,links the coastal communities of Charlevoix toQuebec City.

Charlevoix Airportis a small regional airport serving the region.

See also

edit

Sources

edit

This article incorporates text from afree contentwork. Licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0 (license statement/permission). Text taken fromCharlevoix Biosphere Reserve​,UNESCO.

Further reading

edit
  • Dufour, Daniel (1986).Répertoire cartobibliographique de Charlevoix.Baie-Saint-Paul: Société d'histoire de Charlevoix.ISBN978-2-9800595-0-6.

References

edit
  1. ^The Canadian Press(2017),The Canadian Press Stylebook(18th ed.), Toronto:The Canadian Press
  2. ^Yorker, The New (1926-08-27).""Mr. Taft's Murray Bay"".The New Yorker.ISSN0028-792X.Retrieved2023-07-10.
  3. ^"Some Might Call It Heaven Sent".2012-07-16. Archived fromthe originalon July 16, 2012.Retrieved2016-05-20.
  4. ^abcdefg"Charlevoix | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization".www.unesco.org.Retrieved2016-05-20.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charlevoix&oldid=1241451466"