The Mingan Archipelago is an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

located east of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It consists of a chain of about 40

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

s. Starting but 124 miles from the end of the road along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River (Le Fleuve), the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve of Canada spreads about 109 miles eastward as it dots the coastline with over 2,000 islands and islets. To the southwest a 9 to 10 hour drive away lies

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

. Due south across a 12-mile channel is Anticosti Island and below Anticosti another 25 miles is the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula. To the east is a roadless coastline all the way to

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. To the north are

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

, lakes,

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

and rock. In late June it is still Spring. Politically, most of the islands lie in the town of Havre-Saint-Pierre, but the westernmost of the chain lie in the municipality of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan. The archipelago includes ''Île Niapiskau'' and its limestone monoliths.

References

External links

Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve of Canada
Archipelagoes of the Atlantic Ocean Landforms of Côte-Nord River islands of Quebec Islands of the Saint Lawrence River Archipelagoes of Canada {{Quebec-geo-stub