Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve | |
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![]() Niapiskau island, boats at anchor in a bay, limestone monoliths, Gulf of St. Lawrence | |
Location | Havre-Saint-Pierre / Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Minganie Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada |
Nearest city | Sept-Îles, Quebec |
Coordinates | 50°13′N 63°10′W / 50.217°N 63.167°W |
Area | 151 km2 (58 sq mi) |
Established | 1984 |
Visitors | 44,017 (in 2022–23[1]) |
Governing body | Parks Canada |
Official name | Site patrimonial de l'Archipel-de-Mingan |
Type | Declared heritage site |
Designated | 1978-11-15 |
Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve or Mingan Archipelago Heritage Site bathes in the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the administrative region of Côte-Nord, in Minganie RCM, Havre-Saint -Pierre municipality, facing Anticosti Island.
Accessible by sea or by air, the reserve protects a thousand islands, islets of rocks, cays and limestone reefs in a mosaic of several ecosystems coexisting on small island surfaces.
The reserve is home to the largest concentration of erosion monoliths in Canada, important fossil sites, unique ecological environments, alpine arctic flora, including the Mingan thistle, seabirds with the largest concentrations of Arctic terns, Common terns and Common eiders of the St. Lawrence.[2][3][4][5]
Oddly shaped rock pillars sculpted by wind and sea create the unique islandscape of the natural reserve
Several animal and plant species present on the islands of the Mingan Archipelago and the surrounding landscape are endangered or at risk
close to a thousand islands and islets sprinkled along 93 miles from east to west, 24,711 acres
the shoreline at low tide reveals seemingly endless tide pools full of barnacles, green sea urchins, sea stars and other small invertebrates.