The Archipelago is a township in central Ontario, Canada, along the Georgian Bay in the Parry Sound District. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous parts, separated by Carling and the

Parry Sound Parry Sound is a sound or bay of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sound from Georgian B ...

. The northern part includes the village of Pointe au Baril on the mainland and most of the geographic townships of Shawanaga and Harrison. This covers the islands and shoreline of Georgian Bay from the Twin Sisters (at the northern boundary of Carling Township) north to Charles Inlet and the Naiscoot River, a few miles south of

Britt Britt may refer to: Places * Britt, Iowa, United States * Britt, Minnesota, United States * Britt, Ontario, Canada * Britt Peak, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Britt Township, Hancock County, Iowa, United States Other uses * Britt (actress), Swed ...

. The southern part consists of the geographic townships of Cowper and Conger that includes the islands and shoreline of Georgian Bay southwest of Parry Sound, from Twelve Mile Bay (at the

District of Muskoka The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching ...

boundary) to Wasauksing First Nation and up the South Channel almost to the town of Parry Sound. Almost a third of the population of the southern part lives on the islands in the Sans Souci and Copperhead area, centred on Frying Pan Island. The township is characterized by numerous islands (hence its name) and bays that attract large numbers of vacationers and boaters in the summer. Much of its area is undeveloped and crown-owned land: in the north, 96 percent of the mainland and 50 percent of the islands remain in the public domain, and in the south, 83 percent of the mainland and 70 percent of the islands, a large part of it protected in

The Massasauga Provincial Park The Massasauga Provincial Park is a provincial park in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, stretching from the town of Parry Sound south to the Moon River. The park has an area of . The park encompasses hundreds of islands on the coast of Geo ...

Communities

*Bayfield Inlet * Blackstone Lake *Copperhead *Five Mile Bay *Georgian Inlet *Manbert *Manitou Dock *Naiscoot *Nares Inlet *Niweme *Ojibway Island * Pointe au Baril * Pointe au Baril Station *Sans Souci *Seven Mile Narrows *Skerryvore *Woods Bay

History

On January 1, 1980, the townships of Georgian Bay South Archipelago and Georgian Bay North Archipelago were formed out of unincorporated geographic townships from the Parry Sound District, primarily in order to provide proper planning in the islands and waterways of the area. These two townships were intended to be set up as one municipality, but the Ontario Legislature created two townships, with a provision for their later amalgamation, if requested by the elected Councils. Soon after the formation of the townships, both councils passed identical by-laws calling for the amalgamation of the two municipalities. Therefore, the Township of the Archipelago was formed on April 1, 1980, when the townships of Georgian Bay South Archipelago and Georgian Bay North Archipelago merged.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, The Archipelago had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. *Mother tongue: ** English as first language: 90.4% ** French as first language: 0% ** English and French as first language: 0% ** Other as first language: 8.6%

Education

The community is within the

Near North District School Board The Near North District School Board (NNDSB; known as English-language Public District School Board No. 4 prior to 1999) administers public education in an area of Ontario that is includes all of Parry Sound District, plus a northerly portion of ...

. As of 1975, Moon Island, within The Archipelago, was served by the Sugar Bay School. That year, it was one of 21

one-room schools One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

in the province, and there were 12 students in grades 1-8 with ages ranging from 6 to 13. At the time, the closest high school to Moon Island was in

, away from Moon Island. Moon Island residents who attended high school lived with relatives living in Parry Sound or stayed at boarding houses during the school year.One room school on an island
" '' The Canadian Press'' at '' The Montreal Gazette''. Friday December 5, 1975. p. 41. Retrieved from

Google News Google News is a news aggregator service developed by Google. It presents a continuous flow of links to articles organized from thousands of publishers and magazines. Google News is available as an app on Android, iOS, and the Web. Google rel ...

(41 of 172) on October 2, 2013.

References

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External links