2024-2025 Official Tourist Guide of the Îles de la Madeleine

Profile of the Region – Îles de la Madeleine Overview

… and a country of the sea

Meules, and Île du Havre Aubert. Two other islands are part of the archipelago as well: Île d’Entrée, inhabited and located 10 km east of Havre-Aubert, and Île Brion, 16 km north of Grosse-Île (see area map p. 176). There are other smaller islands and islets that are part of the Îles de la Madeleine archipelago: Rocher aux Oiseaux (Bird Rock), Île aux Goélands, Île Paquet and Le Corps-Mort. Climate The huge water masses around the archipelago temper the weather and create milder conditions in each season. Winter is mild, with the least amount of annual frost, spring is cool. There are no heat waves in summer, and fall is warm; in fact, these sunny warm temperatures often last to the end of September. Constant winds greatly influence the climate of the Islands. Stronger in winter than in summer, wind speeds vary between 17 and 40 km/hr (9 to 22 knots). In summer, the prevailing winds are from the southwest, and in winter, they are from the northwest. The archipelago has everything: climate, wind, various bodies of water and more than 300 km of beautiful beaches — all it takes to be a wind, surf and water-sport lover’s paradise.

1

Madelinots are only too familiar with the trials and tribulations of maritime life. Many tragic shipwrecks have been recorded (more than 400), and these were more often than not foreign ships swept ashore in storms while passing the Islands. Survivors often decided to make the Islands their home. Legends and extraordinary stories colour the Islanders’ oral tradition, kept alive from the time when they lived in almost total isolation. Although modern methods of communication have eased this isolation, the Madelinots still maintain their unique way of life and retain their distinctive accent. In 2018, the population totalled 12,551 inhabi tants including five percent Anglophones, largely of Scottish descent. Geography The archipelago is located in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, or more precisely: 215 km from the Gaspé Peninsula, 105 km from Prince Edward Island and 95 km from Cape Breton Island. The Islands take the shape of a half moon fishhook stretching across a distance of 88 km in a south-west/north-easterly direction. Islanders live in the Atlantic Time Zone, one hour ahead of the rest of the Province of Québec. When it is noon in Montréal, it is 1 pm on the Islands. The archipelago is composed of about a dozen islands, six of which are linked by long, thin, sand dunes. The names of the islands (from north to south) are: Île de la Grande Entrée and Grosse Île, Île de la Pointe aux Loups, Île du Havre aux Maisons, Île du Cap aux

tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com

15

© Coll. Musée de la Mer / BANQ