Aguanish is a
municipality and village in the
Côte-Nord region of the
province of
Quebec in
Canada.
In addition to Aguanish itself, the municipality also includes the community of L'Île-Michon, to the east along
Route 138. Economic activity primarily centers on crab and salmon fishing.
The place is named after the
Goynish or Aguanus River, that flows through and drains into the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence right at the village. This word of Innu origin came from ''aguanus'', in turn from ''akwanich'', from the roots ''akwan'' (shelter) and ''ich'' (small). It has undergone many different spellings, including: Goines (17th century); Guanis, Goinis (1744 map by Bellin); Goynish (1776 map by Carver); Agwanus, Aguanus or Agouanus (maps of the 19th century).
History
For a few years in the 1830s, the
Hudson's Bay Company operated the Nabisipi trading post at the mouth of the Nabisipi River (just west of the current town site).
The first European inhabitants, fishermen from the
Magdalen Islands, settled in the area circa 1849. They were joined in 1875 by people from Kégashka (today
Kegaska) and from Nabisipi River. The place was incorporated as a municipality in 1957.
Demographics
Population
Language
See also
*
List of municipalities in Quebec
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Quebec is the second-most populous province in Canada with 8,501,833 residents as of 2021 and is the largest in land area at . For statistical purposes, the province is divided into 1,282 census subdivisions, which are m ...
References
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Municipalities in Quebec
Incorporated places in Côte-Nord
Hudson's Bay Company trading posts