The Headland of Cape Porcupine is a remote point of land on the south east coast of
Labrador
Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
in the
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
province of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
. The cape juts out into the Atlantic Ocean in a generally easterly direction and forms a protective barrier from northerly gales for the beach of white sands, which might be a candidate for the stretch referred to as
Wonderstrands by the Norse.
The origin of the name is not known but not likely for the rodent rather for the
Porcupine caribou
The Porcupine caribou is a herd or ecotype of the mainland barren-ground caribou (''Rangifer arcticus arcticus'', Synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''R. tarandus groenlandicus''Harding LE (2022) Available names for Rangifer (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Cervid ...
that can be found in the area. The beach in the area is believed to have been visited by explorer
Leif Eirikson, who called it Markland or Land of Woods.
The closest settlement to Cape Porcupine is
Cartwright
Cartwright may refer to:
* Cartwright (occupation), a tradesperson skilled in the making and repairing of carts or wagons
* Cartwright (surname), including the list of people
Places
; Australia
* Cartwright, New South Wales
; Canada
* Cart ...
, Labrador, which lies approximately to the south.
The area is not accessible by road; it is reached by air (helicopter) or by sea.
In 2008, dumped
Dunnite in the area was mistaken for rusty rocks.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porcupine, Cape
Headlands of Newfoundland and Labrador