Matapédia Valley | |
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Vallée de la Matapédia | |
The Chic-Choc mountains, which form the Matapédia Valley. |
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Matapédia Valley
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Long-axis direction | southwest |
Long-axis length | 375 km (233 mi) |
Geological type | river valley |
Population Centers | Amqui |
Traversed by | Route 132 |
The Matapédia Valley was formed by the Chic-Choc Mountains of eastern Québec. Its name is derived from the river that traverses the valley, as well as the lake that lies in its center. It is situated in the southwest of the Gaspé peninsula and stretches 375 km (233 mi).
The land is primarily made up of forest and agriculture, and is home to more than 20,000 inhabitants in some thirty municipalities. Most of them are concentrated along the main avenue of communication, Route 132. The city of Amqui is the seat of the RCM and is home to 6,261 people.
The Mi'kmaq people first developed the valley around 500 BCE. French-Canadian settlement began in 1833 when Pierre Brochu moved to Lake Matapédia along Kempt road. Settlers began flocking to the land in the late nineteenth century with the development of land clearing, agriculture, and the logging industry.
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"Matapédia" comes from the Micmac matapegiag which means "river junction," as mata means junction and pegiag, river. The spellings "Matapeguia," "Malapediach," and "Matapediac" have also been used in the past.[1]
At its western extremity, the valley nests the village of Sainte-Angèle-de-Mérici, Quebec.[2] From north to south, it runs a length of 375 km (233 mi) until it reaches the Restigouche River to the east, which borders New Brunswick. The village of Matapédia, Quebec lies on the valley's eastern tip.
The valley is situated south of the Saint Lawrence River in the administrative regions of Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine. This makes it the only region in the Gaspé Peninsula that does not border the sea.