| Aguanish | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Côte-Nord Region Quebec |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec |
| Coordinates: | 50.2167°N -67°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Côte-Nord |
| Subdivision Type3: | RCM |
| Subdivision Name3: | Minganie |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1849 |
| Established Title1: | Constituted |
| Established Date1: | January 1, 1957 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Léonard Labrie |
| Leader Title1: | Federal riding |
| Leader Name1: | Manicouagan |
| Leader Title2: | Prov. riding |
| Leader Name2: | Duplessis |
| Area Total Km2: | 680.61 |
| Area Land Km2: | 532.04 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 224 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | 0.4 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Pop (2016–21) |
| Population Blank1: | 8.6% |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Dwellings |
| Population Blank2: | 152 |
| Timezone: | Within the AST legislated time zone boundary but observes EST[2] |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code(s) |
| Postal Code: | G0G 1A0 |
| Area Codes: | 418 and 581 |
| Blank Name: | Highways |
Aguanish is a municipality located on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in Minganie Regional County Municipality (RCM), Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada.
In addition to Aguanish itself, the municipality also includes the hamlet of L'Île-Michon, 3.5km (02.2miles) to the east.[3]
The place is named after the Goynish or Aguanish River (ancien name 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).[4]
According to certains sources, Île-Michon was founded by Jean Michon, a craftsman who landed on the island opposite the village to build fishing boats.[5]
In 1831, the Hudson's Bay Company opened the Nabisipi trading post (also spelled Nabaysepie, Nabaysippi, or Nabaysipieat) the mouth of the Nabisipi River (just west of the current town site). After a brief closure, it was reopened in 1832, and operated until circa 1860.[6]
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.[4]
| Canada Census Mother Tongue - Aguanish, Quebec | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Total | ||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | ||||||
| 240 | 12.7% | 98.0% | 0 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5 | n/a% | 2.0% | ||||||||
| 275 | 5.2% | 98.2% | 5 | n/a% | 1.8% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 100.0% | 0.0% | ||||||||
| 290 | 13.4% | 96.7% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 | n/a% | 3.3% | ||||||||
| 335 | 10.7% | 100.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | ||||||||
| 375 | n/a | 100.0% | 0 | n/a | 0.0% | 0 | n/a | 0.0% | 0 | n/a | 0.0% | ||||||||
Economic activity primarily centers on crab and salmon fishing.[7]
Aguanish is from Havre-Saint-Pierre and from Sept-Îles on Route 138.
Until the arrival of The Whale Route (Route 138)[8] [9] in 1996, the only regular means of access to the area was the boat service maintained during the navigation season by Clarke Steamship Company, Ltd.[10]