Cap-aux-Meules (, "Grindstone") is a former village, now a sector of the municipality of

Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine () is a municipality located in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region, in Quebec, Canada. It is located on the islands of the Magdalen Islands archipelago, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from Gaspé, from Prince Edwa ...

. It is located on Cap aux Meules Island (Grindstone Island), part of the

Magdalen Islands The Magdalen Islands (, ) are a Canadian archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Since 2005, the 12-island archipelago is divided into two municipalities: the majority-francophone Municipality of Îles-de-la-Madeleine and the majority-angloph ...

archipelago, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. The sheltered port of Cap-aux-Meules is an important fishing harbour, as well as a commercial cargo and ferry terminal. The ferry company, Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien (CTMA), operates a ferry service to Souris,

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, as well as a year-round cargo service to

Matane Matane () is a town on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Matane River. The town is the seat for the La Matanie Regional County Municipality. In addition to Matane itse ...

and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec. The village is home to the government services offices of Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), Transports Quebec, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH), the

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

(MAPAQ) and the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change (MELCCFP), also,

Parks Canada Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...

Transport Canada Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...

Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; ) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in Canadian waters, such as navigation aids and i ...

, and

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; ) is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland ...

. Located on île du Cap aux Meules (Grindstone Island) the site was settled as early as the 19th century. Before the 2002 amalgamation, it was the Magdalen Islands' smallest community in land area, but because of its location at the centre of the archipelago, it has become the most important business centre of the islands and, as such, was named "Capital of the Islands". The ferry servicing Cap-aux-Meules to Souris, Prince Edward Island constitutes the archipelago's only port of entry by sea. The name of the community is associated to the grindstone quarry located on the island. Its population was 1,685 as of 2006.

Waterway

Ports of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on the

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada. The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...

Shore: Blanc-Sablon, Harrington Harbor, Natashquan,

Havre-Saint-Pierre Havre-Saint-Pierre () is a municipality located on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in Côte-Nord region, Minganie RCM, Quebec, Canada. History In 1857, a group of Acadian families arrived, in 1872, the Parish of Saint-Pierre-d ...

, Mingan, Port-Menier (

Anticosti Island Anticosti () is an island located between the Jacques Cartier and Honguedo Straits, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in L'Île-d'Anticosti (Municipality), Minganie MRC, Côte-Nord, Quebec, Canada. UNESCO's World Heritage On September 19, 2023, ...

), Cap-aux-Meules ( Îles-de-la-Madeleine). File:960616_19_Cap_aux_Meules_3542_2189.jpg, MV Lucy Maud Montgomery ferry, at port June 1996 File:960616_17_Cap_aux_Meules.jpg, Ships moored at the dock File:960616_18_Cap_aux_Meules.jpg, Chemin Principal ( Quebec Route 199)

References

{{authority control Communities in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Magdalen Islands Former municipalities in Quebec Populated places disestablished in 2002