Percé, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Percé is a small village
near the tip
of the Gaspé Peninsula
in Québec
. As a municipality
, it is 432.39 square km in area. It has a long history
of being an important seasonal fishing
centre under the French
. In the 18th century, the area became the most important fishing location on the Gaspé Peninsula
for the Europe
an settlers after Charles Robin
, a native of Jersey
, began his fishing establishment. Old buildings serving as infrastructure
for the Charles Robin Company can still be seen; however, today the area is mainly a tourist location particularly well-known for the attractions of Percé Rock
and Bonaventure Island
.
Percé is the seat of the judicial district
of Gaspé.
. Tourists can walk up to the hole in the rock at low tide.
Bonaventure Island
occupies an area of 4.16 square km facing the town
of Percé. It is populated by one of the most important gannet
colonies in the world and many other species of birds such as puffins, cormorant
s and murres also use the island as a home and breeding
ground.
Further inland from Percé lays Mount Blanc which has a deep crevasse
, as well as many other belvederes that overlook Cannes-de-Roches. Mount Sainte-Anne, with a height of 375 metres, provides views of the sea, and during times of good visibility Miscou Island
in New Brunswick
can be seen.
Percé can be accessed via Route 132
, coming either from the north or the south, and by Via Rail
's Montreal – Gaspé train which stops at the Percé railway station
. It is also reachable by air from the nearby Du Rocher-Percé Airport
via private or charter aircraft - there is no scheduled air service to this airport.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
near the tip
Tip
A tip is an extra payment made to certain service sector workers in addition to the advertised price of the transaction. Such payments and their size are a matter of social custom. Tipping varies among cultures and by service industry...
of the Gaspé Peninsula
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
in Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. As a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, it is 432.39 square km in area. It has a long history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of being an important seasonal 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....
centre under the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In the 18th century, the area became the most important fishing location on the Gaspé Peninsula
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
for the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settlers after Charles Robin
Charles Robin
Charles Robin was an entrepreneur from the Isle of Jersey.He was born in Saint Brélade, Jersey in 1743. By 1763, he was the captain of a ship working in the Newfoundland cod trade. In 1765, with his two brothers and two others, they formed a firm which developed fishing grounds off Cape Breton...
, a native of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, began his fishing establishment. Old buildings serving as infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
for the Charles Robin Company can still be seen; however, today the area is mainly a tourist location particularly well-known for the attractions of Percé Rock
Percé Rock
Percé Rock is a huge sheer rock formation in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, off Percé Bay. Percé Rock appears from a distance like a ship under sail. It is one of the world's largest natural arches located in water and is considered a natural icon...
and Bonaventure Island
Bonaventure Island
Bonaventure Island is a Canadian island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence located off the southern coast of Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula, southeast of the village of Percé...
.
Percé is the seat of the judicial district
Judicial districts of Quebec
The province of Quebec is divided into 36 judicial districts by the , R.S.Q., chapter D-11. Each district has a seat where the courthouse is located, although some have more than one courthouse, service point, or itinerant court location....
of Gaspé.
Demographics
Tourist locations
Percé Rock is a natural rock formation located close to the shore facing the town. It is a natural tourist attraction for its size, color, and unusual door-like hole at one end the rock. It can be seen from any of the belvederes in the area including Mount Joli, Mount Sainte-Anne and Pic de l'AurorePic de l'Aurore
The Pic de l'Aurore is a cliff culminating at about 800 feet at the west entrance of the village of Percé on the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec, Canada. From its top you can view on both the bay of Gaspé up to the Forillon National Park of Canada, and the bay of Percé including the Percé Rock and the...
. Tourists can walk up to the hole in the rock at low tide.
Bonaventure Island
Bonaventure Island is a Canadian island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence located off the southern coast of Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula, southeast of the village of Percé...
occupies an area of 4.16 square km facing the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Percé. It is populated by one of the most important gannet
Gannet
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to the boobies.The gannets are large black and white birds with yellow heads. They have long pointed wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up...
colonies in the world and many other species of birds such as puffins, cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s and murres also use the island as a home and breeding
Breeding in the wild
Breeding in the wild is the natural process of animal reproduction occurring in the natural habitat of a given species. This terminology is distinct from animal husbandry or breeding of species in captivity...
ground.
Further inland from Percé lays Mount Blanc which has a deep crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
, as well as many other belvederes that overlook Cannes-de-Roches. Mount Sainte-Anne, with a height of 375 metres, provides views of the sea, and during times of good visibility Miscou Island
Miscou Island
Miscou Island is a Canadian island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the northeastern tip of Gloucester County, New Brunswick.It is separated from neighbouring Lamèque Island to the southwest by the Miscou Channel with both islands forming Miscou Harbour....
in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
can be seen.
Percé can be accessed via Route 132
Quebec route 132
Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York in the hamlet of Dundee , west of Montreal to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and circles the Gaspé Peninsula...
, coming either from the north or the south, and by Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
's Montreal – Gaspé train which stops at the Percé railway station
Percé railway station
The Percé railway station is located on rue L'Anse à Beaufils 11 km southwest of the village of Percé, Quebec, Canada. The station is staffed and is wheelchair-accessible....
. It is also reachable by air from the nearby Du Rocher-Percé Airport
Du Rocher-Percé (Pabok) Airport
du Rocher-Percé Airport, , is located in Grande-Rivière, Quebec, Canada. The airport formerly had scheduled air service from the commuter airline Quebecair Express, before that airline's bankruptcy in 2005....
via private or charter aircraft - there is no scheduled air service to this airport.