Gulf of St. Lawrence

Lore & Background

The Gulf of St. Lawrence is bounded on the north by the Labrador Peninsula and Quebec, on the east by Saint-Pierre and Newfoundland, on the south by the Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island, and on the west by the Gaspé Peninsula, New Brunswick, and Quebec. There is no consensus on the demarcation of the St. Lawrence River from the Gulf, nor whether it is hydrographically a gulf or an estuary. According to the Commission of Toponymy Quebec, the river becomes the gulf at Pointe des Monts on the Côte-Nord and Matane or Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the gulf's extent with specific lines from Cape Bauld to Cape St. Charles, from Cape Canso to Morgan Island, and along the meridian of 64°30'W.

Reader's Guide

The Gulf of St. Lawrence has provided a historically important marine fishery for various First Nations that lived on its shores for millennia and used its waters for transportation. Lawrence River 'The Country of Canadas'. Over the 20th century, bottom waters at the end of the channel became hypoxic. Thirteen species of cetaceans inhabit the estuary and gulf, including beluga, blue, humpback, and North Atlantic right whales. In winter, ice covers the entire gulf in January and February, aiding navigation by preventing wave formation and spray. National parks touching the gulf include Mingan Archipelago, Forillon, Prince Edward Island, Kouchibouguac, Cape Breton Highlands, and Gros Morne.

Did You Know?

• Half of Canada's ten provinces adjoin the Gulf: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec.
• St. Paul Island, off Cape Breton Island, is known as the 'Graveyard of the Gulf' due to many shipwrecks.