This article is about the region in Canada. For other uses, see Labrador (disambiguation).

Labrador
Flag of Labrador, with Coat of Arms (de facto)
Motto Latin: Munus splendidum mox explebitur The splendid task will soon be fulfilled
Geography
Area:	269,073. The Flag of Labrador, while unofficial is used to represent the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador as distinct from A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Surface area is the measure of how much exposed Area an object has 3 km² (103,895. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 5 sq mi)
Water area:	31,340 km² (12,101 sq mi) (4%)
Coastline:	7,886 km (4,900 mi)
Highest Point:	Mount Caubvik (1652 m, 5,420 ft)
Longest River:	Churchill River (856 km, 532 mi)
Admin HQ:	Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Demographics
Population(2001):	27,864
Largest City:	Happy Valley-Goose Bay[1] 7,572 (2006)
Politics
Government of Newfoundland & Labrador http://www.gov.nl.ca
Members of the Parliament of Canada:	1
Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly:	4

Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the Ocean. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Mount Caubvick (known as Mont D'Iberville in Quebec) is a Mountain located on the border between Labrador and Quebec in the Selamiut Range The Churchill River (French fleuve Churchill) is a river in Newfoundland and Labrador which flows east from the Smallwood Reservoir in Labrador In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The Parliament of Canada (Parlement du Canada is Canada 's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor Atlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the region of Canada comprising four provinces located on the Atlantic coast: Together with the island of Newfoundland from which it is separated by the Strait of Belle Isle, it constitutes the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of The Strait of Belle Isle (détroit de Belle Isle (Beautiful Island sometimes referred to as Straits of Belle Isle or Labrador Straits) is a waterway in eastern A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division. Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation The region is part of the much larger Labrador Peninsula. Labrador Peninsula is a large peninsula in eastern Canada. It is bounded by the Hudson Bay to the west the Hudson Strait to the north the Labrador The area was known by the Norse as Markland. Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who speak one of the North Germanic languages as their native language Markland is the name given to a part of shoreline in Labrador Canada, named by Leif Eriksson when he landed in North America

The population of Labrador is 27,864 (2001 census), including some 30 percent Aboriginal peoples, including Inuit, Innu, and Métis. Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan, which comprises most of what other Canadians refer to as eastern Quebec The Métis are descendants of marriages of Cree, Ojibway Algonquin, Saulteaux, and Menominee aboriginals to Europeans, Labrador’s area (including associated small islands and inland water surfaces) is 294,330 square kilometres (113,641 sq mi). ^[2] It has a land area of 269,073.3 km² (103,895. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here Surface areas between 100000 km² and 1000000 km² 5 sq mi),^[3] approximately the size of New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Its former capital was Battle Harbour. Battle Harbour is a 19th century summer fishing station formerly a permanent settlement located on the Labrador coast in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador

The name "Labrador" is one of the oldest names of European origin in Canada, almost as old as the name "Newfoundland". It is named after Portuguese explorer João Fernandes Lavrador who, together with Pêro de Barcelos, were the second party of European explorers (after the Vikings) to sight it in 1498. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. João Fernandes (ʒuˈɐ̃ũ fɨɾˈnɐ̃ðɨʃ (John Joam (sometimes called João Fernandes Lavrador) was a Portuguese Explorer of the 15th century Pêro de Barcelos ( 15th century / 16th century) sometimes Pedro de Barcelos, was a Portuguese explorer of North America,

Most non-Aboriginal settlement of Labrador occurred due to fishing villages, missions, and fur trading outposts; modern settlements have been created as a result of iron ore mining, hydroelectric developments, and military installations. Until modern times, difficult sea travel and lack of general transportation facilities discouraged settlement. In the 1760s, Moravian missionaries began settling, building missions and often sharing in the fur trade with the Hudson's Bay Company, which was the dominant force on the peninsula until 1870. Events and Trends King George III ascends the British throne in 1760. This page is about the Moravian Church globally For information about the church in a particular geographic area use the links at Organisation below The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal Fur. Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Claims have persisted concerning the Labrador Peninsula with Quebec, although they were settled by judicial decision in 1927 by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Labrador Peninsula is a large peninsula in eastern Canada. It is bounded by the Hudson Bay to the west the Hudson Strait to the north the Labrador Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom, established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833

John James Audubon called Labrador "the most extensive and dreariest wilderness I have ever beheld". John James Audubon ( April 26 1785 – January 27 1851) was an American ornithologist, naturalist, hunter [1] (See Also: Creation, ISBN 1-58567-410-9)

Modern Labrador

Inuit Of Labrador, City of Nain (Photo: André Perron)

Just like its island neighbour Newfoundland, early settlement in Labrador was tied to the sea as demonstrated by the Montagnais, Innu and Inuit, although these peoples also made significant forays throughout the interior as well. The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan, which comprises most of what other Canadians refer to as eastern Quebec Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting European settlement was largely concentrated in coastal communities, particularly those south of Hamilton Inlet, and are among Canada's oldest European settlements. Hamilton Inlet is a Fjord -like inlet on the Labrador coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Extremely poor, both European and First Nations settlements along coastal Labrador came to benefit from cargo and relief vessels that were operated as part of the Grenfell Mission (see Sir Wilfred Grenfell). Grenfell Mission is a medical and religious mission founded by Sir Wilfred Grenfell in the late 1800s in St Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell KCMG ( February 28, 1865 - October 9, 1940) was a medical Missionary to Newfoundland Throughout the 20th century, coastal freighters and ferries operated initially by the Newfoundland Railway and later Canadian National Railways/CN Marine/Marine Atlantic became a critical lifeline for communities on the coast, which for the majority of that century, did not have any road connection with the rest of North America. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The Newfoundland Railway was a railway which operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988 CN Marine was a Canadian Ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick. Marine Atlantic Inc (fr Marine Atlantique) is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering Ferry services between the provinces of

Labrador has played strategic roles in both the Second World War and the Cold War. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the In the early 1940s a German U-boat crew installed an automated weather station on the northern tip of Labrador near Cape Chidley, nicknamed Weather Station Kurt. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers Capes in the Americas Cape Chidley is a headland located on the eastern shore of Killiniq Island, Canada Weather Station Kurt, officially Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26, was a Weather station erected by a German U-boat crew in northern Labrador The station only broadcast weather observations to the German navy for a few days but was not discovered until the 1980s when a historian, working with the Canadian Coast Guard, identified its location. The Canadian Coast Guard ( CCG) ( Garde côtière canadienne ( GCC) is the Coast guard of Canada.

The Canadian government built a major air force base at Goose Bay, at the head of Lake Melville during the Second World War, a site selected because of its topography, access to the sea, defensible location, and minimal fog. Lake Melville is a tidal extension of Hamilton Inlet on the Labrador coast in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including During the Second World War and the Cold War, the base was also home to American, British, and later German, Netherlands, and Italian detachments. Today, CFB Goose Bay is the largest employer for the community of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Additionally, both the United States Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force built and operated a number of radar stations along coastal Labrador as part of the Pinetree Line, Mid-Canada Line and DEW Line systems. The Pinetree Line was a series of Radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel along with a number of other The Mid-Canada Line, also known as the McGill Fence, was a line of Radar stations across the "middle" of Canada to provide early warning Today the remaining stations are automated as part of the North Warning System, however the military settlements during the early part of the Cold War surrounding these stations have largely continued as local Innu and Inuit populations have clustered near their port and airfield facilities. The North Warning System (NWS is a series of radar stations across Arctic North America. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the

During the first half of the 20th century, some of the largest iron ore deposits in the world were discovered in the western part of Labrador and adjacent areas of Quebec. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Iron ores are rocks and Minerals from which Metallic Iron can be economically extracted Deposits at Mont Wright, Schefferville, Labrador City, and Wabush drove industrial development and human settlement in the area during the post-war years. Mont Wright is a mountain near Fermont Quebec, a site of major iron ore mining operations since the 1970s by Québec Cartier Mining Company. Schefferville is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Innu territory in northern Quebec less than 2 km from Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, known for transportation and iron ore operations for over three decades ( 1967 to 2007) World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The present community of Labrador West is entirely a result of the iron ore mining activities in the region. Labrador West (2006 pop 8979 refers to a region in western Labrador in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador containing the twin towns The Iron Ore Company of Canada operates the Quebec, North Shore, and Labrador Railway to transport ore concentrate 500 miles south to the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec for shipment to steel mills in North America and elsewhere. Iron Ore Company of Canada (often abbreviated to IOC) is a Canadian -based producer of Iron ore. The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (AAR reporting mark QNSL is a Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (261 miles through the wilderness Sept-Îles ( pronounced, French for "Seven Islands" is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada

During the 1960s, the Churchill River was diverted at Churchill Falls which resulted in the flooding of an enormous area — today named the Smallwood Reservoir. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 There is more than one river named the Churchill River: Churchill River (Hudson Bay, which runs through Saskatchewan and Manitoba and drains into Hudson Bay Churchill Falls are waterfalls named after former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. The Smallwood Reservoir is a large reservoir located in the western part of Labrador in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Both a hydroelectric generating station and a transmission line were built in the neighbouring province of Quebec.

In the 1970s-2000s the Trans-Labrador Highway was built in stages to connect various inland communities with the North American highway network at Mont Wright, Quebec (which in turn is connected by a highway running north from Baie-Comeau, Quebec). This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The Trans-Labrador Highway ( TLH) is a Canadian Highway located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Mont Wright is a mountain near Fermont Quebec, a site of major iron ore mining operations since the 1970s by Québec Cartier Mining Company. Baie-Comeau Québec ( 2006 city population 22554 UA population 10178 CA population 29808 is a town A southern extension of this highway has opened in stages during the early 2000s and is resulting in significant changes to the coastal ferry system in the Strait of Belle Isle and southeastern Labrador. The Strait of Belle Isle (détroit de Belle Isle (Beautiful Island sometimes referred to as Straits of Belle Isle or Labrador Straits) is a waterway in eastern It is worth noting that these "highways" are so called only because of their importance to the region; they would be better described as roads, and are not completely paved.

A study on a fixed link to Newfoundland, in 2004, recommended that a tunnel under the Strait of Belle Isle, being a single railway that would carry cars, buses and trucks, was technologically the best option for such a link. The Newfoundland-Labrador fixed link refers to various proposals for constructing a Fixed link consisting of Bridges Tunnels and/or Causeways However, the study also concluded that a fixed link was not economically viable. Conceivably, if built with federal aid, the 1949 terms of union would be amended to remove ferry service from Nova Scotia to Port-aux-Basques across the Cabot Strait. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Channel-Port aux Basques (also Port aux Basques) is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of the island of Newfoundland

Although a highway link will soon (2009 or 2010) be complete across Labrador, this route is somewhat longer than a proposed Quebec North Shore highway that presently does not exist. The Trans-Labrador Highway ( TLH) is a Canadian Highway located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Route 138 is one of the oldest highways in Canada. The western terminus is in Elgin, at the border with the state of New York south-west of Montreal Part of the "highway", Route 389, starting approximately 212 km (132 mi) from Baie Comeau to 482 km (299 mi) is of an inferior alignment, and from there to 570 km (354 mi), the provincial border, is an accident-prone section notorious for its poor surface and sharp curves. Quebec's Route 389 connects Route 138 adjacent to Baie-Comeau with the Newfoundland and Labrador border connecting with the Trans-Labrador Highway Local citizens are urging realignment of this road, a vital work if it were to be the routing to the fixed link to Newfoundland.

Route 389 and the Trans-Labrador Highway were added to Canada's National Highway System in September 2005.

The Labrador boundary dispute

Line A: the boundary decided by the Privy Council; the current legal boundary. Line B: the boundary as it is sometimes portrayed by Quebec today.

The tortuous border between Labrador and Canada was set March 2, 1927, after a five-year trial. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1809 Labrador had been transferred from Lower Canada to Newfoundland, but the landward boundary of Labrador had never been precisely stated. Year 1809 ( MDCCCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Province of Lower Canada (French Province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the ^[4] Newfoundland argued it extended to the height of land, but Canada, stressing the historical use of the term "Coasts of Labrador", argued the boundary was one statute mile (1. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States 6 km) inland from the high-tide mark. As Canada and Newfoundland were separate countries, but both members of the British Empire, the matter was referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London), which set the Labrador boundary mostly along the coastal watershed. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom, established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. One of Newfoundland's conditions for joining Confederation in 1949 was that this boundary be entrenched in the Canadian constitution. Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. While this border has not been formally accepted by the Quebec government, the Henri Dorion[2] Commission (Commission d'étude sur l'intégrité du territoire du Québec) concluded in the early 1970s that Quebec no longer has a legal claim to Labrador. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Still, Quebec government publications sometimes ignore or modify the Labrador boundary, especially the southern segment. [3]

The province's name change to Newfoundland and Labrador was meant to emphasize its claim to Labrador, as well as Labrador's unique culture and contributions to the province. (See Newfoundland and Labrador for more details. Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation )

Separation from Newfoundland

A Royal Commission in 2002 determined that there is a certain amount of public pressure from Labradorians to break off from Newfoundland and become a separate province or territory. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Some of the Innu nation would have the area become a homeland for them, much as Nunavut is for the Inuit; a 1999 resolution of the Assembly of First Nations claimed Labrador as a homeland for the Innu and demanded recognition in any further constitutional negotiations regarding the region. Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the The Assembly of First Nations (AFN is a body of First Nations leaders in Canada. [4] The Inuit self-government region of Nunatsiavut was recently created through agreements with the provincial and federal governments.

Timeline

• 11^th century : Probable visit by Leif Ericson. Leif Ericson ( Old Norse: Leifr Eiríksson) (c 970 – c 1020 was a Norse Explorer who was probably the first European to land in See Markland. Markland is the name given to a part of shoreline in Labrador Canada, named by Leif Eriksson when he landed in North America
• 1498: Sighted by João Fernandes Lavrador
• 1498: Visited by John Cabot
• 1500: Visited by Gaspar Corte-Real
• 1534: Visited by Jacques Cartier
• 1763: Labrador is transferred from the French colony Canada to the British colony Newfoundland as per the Treaty of Paris. João Fernandes (ʒuˈɐ̃ũ fɨɾˈnɐ̃ðɨʃ (John Joam (sometimes called João Fernandes Lavrador) was a Portuguese Explorer of the 15th century Giovanni Caboto ( c 1450 - c 1498 known in English as John Cabot, was an Italian Navigator and explorer commonly credited as the Gaspar Corte-Real (c 1450 &ndash c 1501? was a Portuguese explorer. Jacques Cartier (December 31 1491&ndashSeptember 1 1557 was a French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Canada was the name of the French colony that once stretched along the St The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain
• 1774: Labrador is transferred (along with Anticosti Island and the Magdalen Islands) to the Province of Quebec. The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War.
• 1791: Labrador becomes part of Lower Canada when Quebec is divided into two colonies. The Province of Lower Canada (French Province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the
• 1809: Labrador (from Cape Chidley to the mouth of the Saint-Jean River) is transferred back to Newfoundland. Capes in the Americas Cape Chidley is a headland located on the eastern shore of Killiniq Island, Canada
• 1825: The north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence west of Blanc-Sablon and south of 52° north is separated from Labrador and transferred back to Lower Canada. Gulf of Saint Lawrence (French golfe du Saint-Laurent) the world's largest Estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Blanc-Sablon Quebec is the easternmost community in the province of Quebec, Canada
• 1892: Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary and social activist, first came to Labrador. Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell KCMG ( February 28, 1865 - October 9, 1940) was a medical Missionary to Newfoundland
• 1927: The Labrador boundary dispute is settled.
• 1941: Canada builds the air base at Goose Bay.
• 1949: Labrador becomes part of Canada when Newfoundland joins Confederation. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the
• 2001: The province changes its name to Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation
• 2007: The province and Federal Government of Canada sign an agreement to establish Nunatsiavut

Demographics

See also

• Landsat Island
• Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve

References

• The Lure of the Labrador Wild, by Dillon Wallace (ISBN 1-4043-1537-3; July 2002)
• Labrador by Choice, by Benjamin W. Powell Sr. C. M. 1979
• The Story of Labrador, by B. Rompkey (2005)
• Labrador, by Robert Stewart (1977)
• Community Profile: Labrador: Division No. 10, Newfoundland and Labrador; Statistics Canada

External links

• Audio recording of a traditional ghost story from Labrador, Canada
• Project Gutenberg e-text of Dillon Wallace's The Lure of the Labrador Wild
• Labrador information page
• Newfoundland and Labrador Defense League - Advocacy Group
• Trans-Labrador Highway website Detailed information about traveling in Labrador