Île Lamèque | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Île Lamèque

Île Lamèque, 150 km2, is located off the northeast corner of New Brunswick at the entrance to Chaleur Bay.

Île Lamèque, 150 km2, is located off the northeast corner of New Brunswick at the entrance to Chaleur Bay. Originally called Shippagan Island, its present name was confirmed in the 1970s and derives from a Mi'kmaq word describing tidal flows in the area. Nineteen kilometres long and 11 wide, the island is sandy and flat, covered in grasses and a few stunted trees. Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq, its modern residents are mainly French-speaking.

As well as a small fishing industry, the island features vast bogs of peat moss, sold primarily to the US. The main community on the island is the town of Lamèque. The island is connected by bridge across the Shippagan Sound to the mainland community of Shippagan and by a bridge to Miscou Island, its sister island to the north. In the summer the town of Lamèque holds the International Baroque Music Festival within Sainte-Cécile Church (1813).