The North-of-Quebec is largest of the administrative areas of the Quebec. It could largely contain at the same time France and Belgium. With it only, the area represents more half of the total surface area of the Quebec (55  % of the Québécois territory), with its 839  000  km ², of which 121  000  km ² of lakes and rivers.

Only 0,5  % of the population of Quebec saw there, that is to say approximately 40  000 people. The Autochtones (Cries and Inuits) form 60% of the population together, while the Québécois non-autochtones constitute 40% of the inhabitants. The French is the language of the inhabitants non-autochtones, but is used also more and more like language second by Autochtones; the latter have as a language of use either the language shouts, or the Inuktitut (language of Inuits).

This Scandinavian area of Quebec to the characteristic to be the area located more at north of all the Francophonie and especially the only one which counts a community inuite among all the French-speaking territories of the world.

The North-of-Quebec is represented with the National Assembly in the district of Ungava.

Geography

The area is delimited by the bays of Hudson and James in the west, the Détroit of Hudson and the Baie of Ungava in north, the Labrador in the North-East, and the administrative areas of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue, of the Mauricie, the Saguenay-Lake-Saint-Jean and the Coast-North in the south and south-east.

History of the area and progression of French

The area of North-of-Quebec belonged to the Earth of Rupert of the Compagnie of Hudson Bay since XVIè century, i.e. a territory managed by a British commercial company. For this reason, it belonged to the News-France forever, i.e. it forever be a French possession.

It was not populated by British colonists, who considered it not-favourable with colonization, but the repeated contacts of the British merchants with the populations autochtones spread there the use of the language English E: this is why the language second of Autochtones was there a long time exclusively English. It should be noted that the introduction of the language French E was done only at the XXè century with the arrival of Québécois governmental technicians, and that the progression of the French thus constitutes a " avancée" real of this language towards the north of Quebec but it does not represent mythical a " reconquest linguistique" (contrary to the assertions of certain Québécois nationalists) since North-of-Quebec was historically a ground Anglophone (at least in language second) and not French-speaking person. Those which complain owing to the fact that the French is today the language second chosen by more than 50% of Autochtones " seulement" (according to them) should consider that this figure, on the contrary, represents an immense progress (made with the detriment of English) because in the beginning, still a century ago, French was not established at all in this area.

In 1870, the area was transferred to new the Dominion from Canada by the imperial authorities from London. In 1898, the Parlement of Canada fixed the septentrional border of Quebec in the middle of the Eastmain river, close to the 52e parallèle  , thus increasing the Québécois territory; in 1912, it transfers the District to him from Ungava, including/understanding all the territory in the north of the Eastmain river: concretely, by these two successive enlargings, the Quebec then more than doubled its territory. But the Inhabitants of Quebec " sud" years 1960 waited before investing this new area (from where the name New Quebec used at the time, for part of its territory). The area strongly contributed to the " spirit; pionnier" of many Inhabitants of Quebec come to settle in this area to work there for example in ambitious hydroelectric projects like that of the Bay James. The creation of new cities like that of Radisson in the years 1960 and 1970 is the illustration.

The Ungava, the part of the territory transferred in 1912 and which is in the north of the parallel 49e (corresponding about to current the Nunavik), were called until 1987 New Quebec . As for the territory in the south of the parallel 49e (corresponding about to current the Jamésie), it was attached to the municipal authorities of the Abitibi and Valley-with-the Gold during first half of the XXe century. The political organization of North-of-Quebec was deeply altered between 1976 and 1984 to make following the signature in November 1975 of the Convention of the Bay-James and Québécois North by the representatives inuits and cries and the governments of Quebec and Canada.

The border between Quebec and the province of Newfoundland ( British colony until in 1949, date on which Newfoundland became Canadian province ) was fixed by the legal Comité of the private Council of London in 1927, but the Government of Quebec does not consider this decision as final with regard to the border of the Coast-North since he considers that the Parliament of Quebec was not consulted.

Districts of Nunavik and Jamésie

The administrative area of North-of-Quebec is divided into two distinct parts.

In the north of the parallel 55e is the Nunavik, covered almost entirely by the Toundra. Nunavik is almost exclusively populated by the Inuits which live in 14 Scandinavian villages along the coasts. Nunavik is managed by the regional Administration Kativik (ARK), except for the Village cry of Whapmagoostui which belongs to the regional Administration shouts.

  • the Jamésie:

The southernmost part, called " Jamésie ", extends from the bay James with the Monts Otish in the east. This territory, mainly made up of northern forest, is divided between the first nation shouts and Jamésiens not autochtones (" Blancs") who are slightly majority there. Its administration is shared between the regional Administration shouts, which gathers the 9 villages cries of North-of-Quebec, and the five municipalities of Jamésie with regard to the non-Autochtones. The municipality of the Bay-James and the regional Administration shout take up certain duties of a regional municipality of county.

Demography

In all, North-of-Quebec has 14 Scandinavian villages (10  000 inhabitants), 9 villages cries (14  000 inhabitants) and 5 municipalities (17  000 inhabitants).

  • Population: 39.892 (2004)

  • Surface: 839.000 km ²
  • Density: 0,1 hab. /km ²
  • Birth rate: 21,5 ‰ (2004)
  • Death rate: 4,8 ‰ (2003)
Source: Statistical institute of Quebec

Municipalities and villages

Municipalities

Villages cries

Scandinavian villages

External bonds

  • Gate of North-of-Quebec

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