| Rivière aux Rats | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Côte-Nord |
| Subdivision Type4: | Regional County Municipality |
| Subdivision Name4: | Minganie Regional County Municipality |
| Length: | 18.3km (11.4miles) |
| Source1: | Confluence of two mountain streams |
| Source1 Location: | L'Île-d'Anticosti |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 49.3589°N -63.1021°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 171m (561feet) |
| Mouth: | Gulf of Saint Lawrence |
| Mouth Location: | L'Île-d'Anticosti |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 49.2419°N -63.1181°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 1m (03feet) |
| Tributaries Left: | (upstream) |
The rivière aux Rats (English: Rats River) is a tributary of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, flowing in the municipality of L'Île-d'Anticosti, in the Minganie Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Côte-Nord, in province of Quebec, in Canada.
A forest road (north–south direction) serves the area between the Rats river and the Chicotte river. This road connects the Grand-Lac-Salé Ecological Reserve to the south, and the main road passing through the center-north of the island.
Forestry is the main economic activity in this area; recreational tourism activities, in particular hunting and fishing.[1]
The Rats River has its source at the confluence of two mountain streams (altitude:), located in the south-central part of the island. This source is located in a forest area at:
From its source, the Rats River flows on with a drop of, according to the following segments:
The Rats River flows on the east side of Gand lac Salé, Petit lac Salé, Baie des Sables and the Côte de la Grande Traversée, on the south shore of Anticosti Island, in the gulf of Saint Lawrence. This confluence is located at:
This toponymic designation appeared in 1955 on a map of the Consolidated Bathurst company.
The toponym "rivière aux Rats" was made official on September 12, 1974, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[3]
In 1991, the Quebec government established the "Lac-Salé Ecological Reserve" covering approximately 7000 hectares. Briefly, this reserve was delimited by the middle of the rivière du Brick from its confluence with the Honguedo Strait, going up the river to latitude 5,468,000 m N; thence, easterly, to the center of the Chicotte River; then south following the center of the latter river, until its confluence with the Honguedo Strait.[4]