Lanaudière (, ) is one of the seventeen administrative
regions
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of
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, situated immediately to the northeast of
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 ...
. It has a total population (
2016 Census) of 494,796 inhabitants, an increase of 4.9% over the 2011 census.
Geography
The region of Lanaudière is part of central Quebec and is located between the
Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
and the
Laurentian Mountains, between
Mauricie
Mauricie () is a traditional and current administrative region of Quebec. La Mauricie National Park is contained within the region, making tourism in Mauricie popular. The region has a land area of 35,860.05 km2 (13,845.64 sq mi) and a popu ...
and the
Laurentides
The Laurentides (, ) is a region of Quebec. While it is often called the Laurentians in English, the region includes only part of the Laurentian Mountains. It has a total land area of and its population was 589,400 inhabitants as of the 2016 C ...
. Lanaudière attracts a good deal of interest from vacationers. Lanaudière's area of stretch northwest from a shoreline of on the Saint Lawrence River. Lanaudière is generally rural, while the urban areas are generally concentrated in the south of the region, such as
Repentigny,
Terrebonne and
Berthierville. The altitude rises as one goes northwards; it is near the Saint Lawrence River to almost at the top of mountains near
Saint-Donat and
Saint-Zénon.
Lanaudière is made up of three distinct geographical groupings: the southern plain has cities and farming villages and includes many historical locations; the
piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
in the centre has become a vacation spot due to its numerous lakes and natural attractions, and the
Laurentian Plateau in the far north in the forested country is known for its fishing and hiking.
The three main ports of entry for Lanaudière are all in the south: Terrebonne, Repentigny and Berthierville.
Lanaudière's road network was developed according to three north-south axes (25-125, 31-131, 347), all of which have few links with the neighbouring regions. This internal network is almost exclusively composed of secondary roads. Lanaudière has two wildlife preserves, the
Rouge-Matawin and the
Mastigouche, as well as part of the
Mont Tremblant park. Further to the north, about an hour away from
Saint-Michel-des-Saints, there is the
Atikamekw
The Atikamekw are an Indigenous people in Canada. Their historic territory, ('Our Land'), is in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec (about north of Montreal). One of the main communities is Manawan, about northeast of Montreal. ...
indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." ...
of
Manawan.
History
The region of Lanaudière owes its name to history - it perpetuates the memory of
Marie-Charlotte de Lanaudière, daughter of the lord of
Lavaltrie and wife of the businessman
Barthélemy Joliette, descendant of the famous explorer
Louis Jolliet
Louis Jolliet (; September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore ...
. The name ''Lanaudière'' evokes the lineage of the lords De Lanaudière who contributed, over seven generations, to the defence and the development of the
French colonies in America, of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and of the region.
Administrative divisions
Regional county municipalities
Nation Atikamekw
*
Manawan
School districts
The 10 French-language districts have service by the two
school service centres of the region and two districts by centres of
Laurentides
The Laurentides (, ) is a region of Quebec. While it is often called the Laurentians in English, the region includes only part of the Laurentian Mountains. It has a total land area of and its population was 589,400 inhabitants as of the 2016 C ...
:
*
Commission scolaire des Affluents; (
L'Assomption,
Les Moulins
Les Moulins () is a regional county municipality in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada.
It is located immediately north of Laval, Quebec, Laval on the North Shore (Laval), north shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles, and comprises the muni ...
(except a district part of
Terrebonne served by
Commission scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles
The Commission scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles (CSSMI) is a former francophone school district in the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. It comprises several primary schools and high schools across municipalities in the Laurentides reg ...
))
*
Commission scolaire des Samares (
D'Autray,
Montcalm,
Joliette
Joliette () is a city in southwest Quebec, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Montreal, on the L'Assomption River and is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Joliette. It is considered to be a part of the North Shore of G ...
et
Matawinie (except the district of
Saint-Donat served by
Centre de services scolaire des Laurentides)).
Major communities
See also
*
List of Quebec regions
References
External links
Portail régional de LanaudièreOfficial website
CRÉ
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanaudiere
Administrative regions of Quebec