Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Administrative area of the province of Quebec. It is located in the west of the province. It is made up of 4 regional municipalities of county (MRC) and 79 municipalities. Its economy depends mainly on the forestry development in the MRC of Abitibi and Témiscamingue, of the mines all along the Faille of Cadillac, between Rouyn-Noranda and Valley-with Or, as well as agriculture in the MRC of Témiscamingue and Abitibi-West.

Demography

  • Population: 150.622 (2007)
  • Surface: 65.143 km ² (2007)
  • Density: 2 hab. /km ² (2007)
  • Birth rate: 9,2 ‰ (2004)
  • Death rate: 7,5 ‰ (2003)
Spoken language at the house
    French
  • , 94,8%
    • English
  • , 3,6%
  • Others (Amerindian languages), 1,6%
Spoken language with work (2001)
    French
  • , 78,6%
    • French and English
  • , 19,1%
Source: Statistical institute of Quebec

History

Initially inhabited for 8.000 years by the Amerindians and more specifically by the Algonquins since at least XIIIe century according to certain archaeological research, the territory abitibien has seen the first European forwardings towards 1670 pennies the direction of Radisson, forwardings inherent in a development strategy of the draft of the furs in the area of the Hudson Bay and the colonies of the Nouvelle France. The Fort Témiscamingue , set up in a neuralgic point on the bank is Lake Témiscamingue by a French tradesman in 1720 on grounds Anicinabées, becomes at the time an important crossroads for the draft of the furs along the road of draft of Hudson Bay.

Become French possession, then British following the Treated of Utrecht, the territory abitibien belongs then to Hudson Bay Company until this one is acquired by Canada in 1868, and is joined to the Territories of the North-West. After long negotiations near the federal government of Sir Wilfrid Bay-tree by Quebec, Abitibi is annexed to the province of Quebec on June 13rd, 1898 by federal decree. Témiscamingue of dimensioned sound, is already at that time within the province of Quebec, it since the Confederation, already forming part of the territorial configurations of the province, those even which composed Low-Canada before the Act of North America Britannique.

So right now the Algonquins live there since strong a long time, the development with large scales of the territory témiscabitibien takes place significantly towards the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century by the means of the development of agriculture and the forestry. Initially, this development takes root in the southern part of the area, driving with the foundation inter alia, of City-Marie in 1886, and Témiscaming in 1888, the latter will be subsequently conceived according to a urban development of type Cité-jardin ordered by paper the Riordon Pulp and Paper Co .

However, the first colonial waves of importance which the area meets, start in the years surrounding the two world wars of the beginning of the 20th century. Despizing risks and rudimentary living conditions, thousands of townsmen of the urban centres of the south of the province will join the area. This first migratory wave brings the colonists in the septentrional part of the area, mainly along the new railroad of the Transcontinental National Railway. First demographic crucible to reach this part of the area, this one opens the territory with agriculture consequently and leads in particular to the foundation of the towns of Amos in 1914, the Saar in 1917, or even with the erection of various infrastructures not having no glance with colonization, like the prison camp of Spirit Lake, founded in order to serve War Measures Act at the time of the First World War.

During the Thirties, federal and provincial plans such as the Vautrin plan and the Gordon plan are implemented; these official subsidies taking the form of land gifts subordinated to conditions. These two scénarii of colonization planned try inter alia withdrawing unemployed of the victims big cities of the Krach of 1929, and encouraging them to invest the not developed areas of the province, while increasing these regional populations. Combined with discovered many gold bearing layers along the fault of Cadillac which brings with it thousands of mining workers of Europe Eastern, these plans of colonization generate what can be perceived like the second colonial wave in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Undoubtedly the multi-most ethnic colonization that could know an outlying area of Quebec at the time, this movement of colonization leaves on its passage several uncommon architectural elements, such as Russian and Ukrainian orthodoxe churches.

Thus, mining industry, which consists primarily with the exploitation of copper and gold layers, will also contribute to the effervescence which the area at the dawn of the second Great War meets, whereas many exceptional layers enter in production run through the area. New cities are then created and explode in a few years, among them, the towns of Rouyn-Noranda (initially two distinct cities) in 1926 in the west of the area and Valley-with Or in the east of the area in 1934 which still today constitute the economic and demographic pillars of the area.

During the Sixties and Seventies, consequently with the impetus of the hydro-electric great projects in Québécois means-north and from its geographical location, the area will become gradually an important center in what milked with the commercial relations with North-of-Quebec and the communities autochtones. This relative geographical insulation of the area with the remainder of Quebec will also tend to support many cultural relations, economic and social with Ontario and the autochtones of the area and North-of-Quebec.

Etymology

Abitibi : This term would come completely from the meaning algonquin: “where water separates”. The area is located on a Watershed, from where this denomination given by the algonquins to this area, recovery thereafter by Europeans.

Témiscamingue : derives from the algonquin timiskaming , breaking up into “timi”, (deep), “kami”, (stretch of water) and “ing”, (with) for thus meaning neither more nor less “with the deep lake”.

Sources: Names and places of Quebec: if each place were told to me. Commission of toponymy of Quebec. Publications of Quebec, 1997

Geography

Fourth vaster area of Quebec, only preceded by the North-of-Quebec, the Coast-North and the Saguenay-Lake-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Témiscamingue has a surface of 65.000 square kilometers. Area more in the west of Quebec, it extends since the Ontarian border in the west until Mauricie in the east, then of Outaouais in the south until North-of Quebec within its septentrional limit, that is to say with the parallel 49e. As an indication, the city more in the south east Témiscaming (46°45'), more in North; Normétal (49°00'), more in the east; Senneterre (77°14') and more in the west; The Queen (79°30')

Located at same the Canadian Shield, the area is primarily made up of plates and hills relatively low and rests with an average rise slightly higher than 300 meters. One counts there all the same some mountainous small formations, among them, the Abijévis hills, located in the National park of Aiguebelle , (Mount Dominating, 565m) and the Kékéko hills, in the south-west of Rouyn-Noranda (Mount-Chéminis 507m). Nevertheless, the highest point of the area, is at the east of Senneterre, where a mount without official name culminates with 599 meters.

The catchment areas are composed of an important quantity of river, in the whole not very deep in the northern part considering relative flatness of the relief. If the northern part belongs to the catchment area of the James Bay, conversely the southern part belongs to the catchment area of Outaouais and the St-Laurent. Abitibi is located on the watershed, that a series of small hills forms, dividing into two slopes the relief abitibien.

So the two principal rivers of the area progress in opposite directions. Whereas the Rivière Kinojévis furrows the clay soil of the plates abitibiens on 140 km in order to join the river of Outaouais in the south, the Rivière Harricana walks on towards north on 553 km before leading in the James Bay.

The forest is varied there, passing from a mixed forest in Témiscamingue with the northern forest in Abitibi, and the surprisingly rich grounds close to the lakes Abitibi and Témiscamingue; the old period refrigerator having deposited rich person belts of clay at these places.

Regional municipalities of county

Municipality except MRC

Autochtones municipalities except MRC

Festivals

External bonds

  • Gate of Abitibi-Témiscamingue

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