Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve of Canada
Overview of the Mingan region
Highway 138 near Natashquan village
© Parks Canada / D. Parisé / 1994 /
O 02 03 91
The region known as the « Minganie » amounts to some 360 km of dazzling shoreline, with
breathtaking scenery being assured at every turn. Route 138 follows the coastline through a landscape studded with
lakes, rivers, peat bogs, forests and mountains.
The Mingan region's small population is distributed over 11 municipalities. 5800 people live between Sheldrake
to Natashquan, Anticosti Island included. There are also 1100 people living in two Innu communities (Mingan-Ekuanitshit
and Natashquan-Nutashkan).
Economic development in the Mingan region rests mainly on natural resource exploitation. Mining, commercial fishing and
the forest industry provide, today as yesterday, the economic framework for the region's villages. Tourism
activities-hunting and sport fishing, or ecotourism pursuits which highlight the region's natural splendour-are
largely based on the appeal of the region's wild and untamed character.