Entry Island
Encyclopedia
Entry Island is an island
off the east coast of the Magdalen Islands
, which are part of the Canadian Province of Quebec. The island is 2 km wide and 3 km long. The island is located 12 km from the main port of Cap-aux-Meules
of the Magdalen Islands. Entry Island is only accessible by ocean or air. The island is also home to an English-speaking community.
Fishing
is the main industry of the island with the lobster
fishery being the most important, but some fishermen also harvest crab
, scallops, whelk
, mackerel
, tuna
and herring
.
Visible as the first island when travelling by ferry from the Magdalen Islands, Entry Island can be identified by its lavishly tinted cliffs, the highest of which rises a sheer 559 feet (170.4 m) from the sea, and is the highest point of land in the archipelago. Fewer than 130 residents of Scottish and English
origin inhabit this unique island. The island has two stores, a restaurant, an Anglican church
, school, CLSC
, museum, and post office; a Bed and Breakfast
operates during the tourist season.
and go to Secondary II. They can complete their studies at an English high school in Grosse-Île
, Bonaventure
or Gaspé
.
s (depending on the season) in the parking lot than cars.
Crossings to Entry Island vary from season to season. From May until the end of December there is a regular local ferry
service that transports passengers, mail and freight. In winter a small plane assumes this service, weather permitting. Sometimes in the winter an ice bridge forms from Entry Island to Amherst Island. This winter bridge is used frequently by islanders travelling on snowmobiles, horses and even automobiles as well as on foot (for the intrepid) according to winter conditions.
Three English communities exist on the Magdalen Islands; Grosse-Île, Old Harry and Entry Island. Entry Island is the only totally secluded community as the others (English and French) are all connected by sand dunes and a highway, Route 199
.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
off the east coast of the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
, which are part of the Canadian Province of Quebec. The island is 2 km wide and 3 km long. The island is located 12 km from the main port of Cap-aux-Meules
Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec
Cap-aux-Meules is an unincorporated Canadian community located on Île du Cap aux Meules in Quebec's Magdalen Islands...
of the Magdalen Islands. Entry Island is only accessible by ocean or air. The island is also home to an English-speaking community.
Fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
is the main industry of the island with the lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
fishery being the most important, but some fishermen also harvest crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
, scallops, whelk
Whelk
Whelk, also spelled welk or even "wilks", is a common name used to mean one or more kinds of sea snail. The species, genera and families referred to using this common name vary a great deal from one geographic area to another...
, mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
, tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
and herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
.
Visible as the first island when travelling by ferry from the Magdalen Islands, Entry Island can be identified by its lavishly tinted cliffs, the highest of which rises a sheer 559 feet (170.4 m) from the sea, and is the highest point of land in the archipelago. Fewer than 130 residents of Scottish and English
English Canada
English Canada is a term used to describe one of the following:# English-speaking Canadians, as opposed to French-speaking Canadians. It is employed when comparing English- and French-language literature, media, or art...
origin inhabit this unique island. The island has two stores, a restaurant, an Anglican church
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
, school, CLSC
CLSC
CLSCs in Quebec are free clinics which are run and maintained by the provincial government...
, museum, and post office; a Bed and Breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
operates during the tourist season.
Entry Island School
The present Entry Island School was constructed in 1963. It has three classrooms, a library, office, kitchen and auditorium. in 2007 the school had 18 students enrolled, 7 girls and 11 boys. Students begin school in pre-kindergartenPre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
and go to Secondary II. They can complete their studies at an English high school in Grosse-Île
Grosse-Île, Quebec
Grosse-Île is one of two municipalities forming the urban agglomeration of Îles-de-la-Madeleine in Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region and the population is 539 as of 2009....
, Bonaventure
Bonaventure, Quebec
Bonaventure is a town on the Gaspé Peninsula in the Bonaventure Regional County Municipality of Quebec. It is located on Baie des Chaleurs near the mouth of the Bonaventure River...
or Gaspé
Gaspé, Quebec
Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the city had a total population of 14,819....
.
Transport
A ferry comes to Entry twice a day from May 1 to December 31. The island has an airplane service from January 1 until April 30. When visitors come to Entry Island, after an hour boat ride, they see more four-wheelers or snowmobileSnowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
s (depending on the season) in the parking lot than cars.
Crossings to Entry Island vary from season to season. From May until the end of December there is a regular local ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service that transports passengers, mail and freight. In winter a small plane assumes this service, weather permitting. Sometimes in the winter an ice bridge forms from Entry Island to Amherst Island. This winter bridge is used frequently by islanders travelling on snowmobiles, horses and even automobiles as well as on foot (for the intrepid) according to winter conditions.
Three English communities exist on the Magdalen Islands; Grosse-Île, Old Harry and Entry Island. Entry Island is the only totally secluded community as the others (English and French) are all connected by sand dunes and a highway, Route 199
Quebec route 199
Route 199 is a 85 km north/south highway located on the Magdalen Islands, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Stretching from Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine's communities of L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert to Grande-Entrée, the route is the main artery of the archipelago and is the only Quebec numbered highway that is...
.
See also
- Magdalen IslandsMagdalen IslandsThe Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
- Municipal reorganization in QuebecMunicipal reorganization in QuebecThe most recent episode of municipal reorganization in Quebec, Canada, was undertaken in 2002 by the Parti Québécois Government of Quebec, headed by Premier Lucien Bouchard and his successor Bernard Landry....
- List of Quebec regions
- Coins of the Magdalen IslandsCoins of the Magdalen IslandsThe Magdalen Islands had only one coin - a 1 Penny token issued in 1815 by Sir Isaac Coffin.The obverse of the coin depicts a seal on an ice floe. It is inscribed 'MAGDALEN ISLAND TOKEN 1815'. The reverse of the coin depicts two gutted fish similar to that depicted on 1/2d. tokens from Prince...
(numismatic history).
External links
- The Council for Anglophone Magdalen Islanders Entry Island site
- Entry Island school - Eastern Shores School Board
- Municipalité des Îles-de-la-Madeleine
- Magdalen Islands tourist association
- The official tourist site of the Magdalen islands
- Quebec tourism information on the Magdalen Islands including a map (with the French names)
- NFB documentary on Entry Island, Short Infinity - includes info on Canadian screenings