Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean


Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is a region in Quebec, Canada. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region. It is also known as Sagamie in French, from the first part of "Saguenay" and the last part of "Piekouagami", the Innu name for Lac Saint-Jean, with the final "e" added to follow the model of other existing region names such as Mauricie, Témiscamie, Jamésie, and Matawinie. The name Saguenay is possibly derived from the Innu word "Saki-nip" which means "where water flows out". With a land area of 98,712.71 km2, the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is, after the Nord-du-Québec and Côte-Nord regions, the third-largest of Quebec regions in the area.
This region is bathed by two major watercourses, Lac Saint-Jean and the Saguenay River, both of which mark its landscape deeply and have been the main drives of its development in history. It is also irrigated by several other large watercourses. Bordered by forests and mountainous massifs, the southern portion of the region constitutes a fertile enclave in the Canadian Shield called the Saguenay Graben. Both the scenery and the cultural sites and activities of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean attract tourists every year. Lac Saint-Jean is a popular vacation destination in the summer for residents of the more urban regions of Quebec.
The region is considered the of the Quebec sovereignty movement.
The beauty of the region can be seen in the 1991 film Black Robe, directed by Bruce Beresford.

Population

The population of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region was 276,368 at the Canada 2016 Census, representing 3.5% of Quebec's population. It is concentrated primarily in three clusters: the city of Saguenay, the city of Alma and the agglomeration of Roberval, Saint-Félicien and Dolbeau-Mistassini. Saguenay, the region's largest city, is located slightly west of the fjord, mostly south of the river.

Flag

The flag was incorporated in 1938 on the centenary of the first settlers' arrival in 1838 and was created by Mgr. Victor Tremblay, a local historian. The four colours represent the four elements of the richness of Saguenay: the grey cross represents aluminum, which is an important product of local industry; the red border represents the inhabitants' labour; green, at the top represents the forest; and yellow, at the bottom, represents agriculture.

Subdivisions

Following the Saguenay municipal reorganization in 2002, the region now counts 49 municipalities.
Regional County Municipalities
Independent City
Native Reserve
Sources: Government of Quebec, Ministry of Municipal Affairs

Major communities


  • Alma
  • Chambord
  • Desbiens
  • Dolbeau-Mistassini
  • Hébertville-Station
  • Métabetchouan–Lac-à-la-Croix
  • Normandin
  • Roberval

  • Saguenay
  • Saint-Ambroise
  • Saint-Bruno
  • Saint-Félicien
  • Saint-Honoré
  • Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc

School districts

Each school service centre give services to five school distics of 20 in the region:
The hole region is part of the anglophone district Central Quebec School Board.
Francophone centres