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Located on the north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, between the Sainte-Marguerite and Moisie rivers, Sept-Îles lies on the shore of a deep-water bay fronted by a seven-island archipelago. The bay constitutes a 45 km² natural harbour.
The seven islands are named:
The archipelago is under provincial jurisdiction, with some parts administered by the federal government or by particulars.
The city includes two First Nations reserves, Uashat in the western city proper, and Maliotenam in the east near the Moisie River.
The first inhabitants of the area were the "Montagnais" Innu people, who called it Uashat ("Great Bay"). Official discovery is attributed to French explorer Jacques CartierJacques Cartier ( Saint-Malo, France, December 31, 1491 January 19 1557) was a French explorer who is popularly thought of one of the major discoverers of Canada, or more specifically, the interior region that would be part of the first area that could be, who sailed by the islands in 1535Events January 18 Lima, Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro June 24 The Anabaptist state of Munster is conquered and disbanded. May 19 French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail for his second voyage to North America with 3 ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacon and called them the Ysles Rondes ("Round Islands"). He was not the first European on the site however, as he encountered Basque fishermen who were coming yearly for whalingAlbert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch Whaling is the hunting and killing of whales. Historically, poor conservation management by many nations led to far more whales being killed than could be sustained and to near extinction of several species. and codGadus morhua ''Gadus macrocephalus ''Gadus ogac Cod is the common name for the genus Gadus of fishes, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name of a variety of other fishes. Cod is a popular food. Species in genus Gadus At vario fishing.
Early economic activity in Sept-Îles was based on fishingFishing is both the recreation and sport of catching fish (for food or as a trophy), and the commercial fishing industry of catching or harvesting seafood (either fish or other aquatic life-forms, such as shellfish). Fishing is done in a river, canal, lak and the fur tradeFrom the earliest contacts by Europeans with native Americans trading was a major focus of activity especially in the case of the French, the British, the Hudson's Bay Company and the Dutch West India Company. It was often hard for Europeans to understand, with trading posts established by Louis JolietLouis Joliet also known Louis Jolliet ( September 21, 1645 May 1700), was a Canadian explorer born in Quebec who is important for his discoveries in North America. Jolliet, along with Jacques Marquette were the first white men to map the Mississippi River in 1679Events January 24 King Charles II of England disbands Parliament August 7 The brigantine Le Griffon which was commissioned by Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the, and by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1842. The village was incorporated into a municipality in 1885. The town, lacking road access at the time, got its first pier in 1908. The City of Sept-Îles was incorporated in 1951, on the 300th anniversary of the first Catholic mass held in the village.
The modern Sept-Îles was practically built overnight during the establishment of a 357-mile (575 km) railway link to the northern town of Schefferville between 1950 and 1954 by the Iron Ore Company of Canada . Iron ore mined near Wabush , Labrador was transported on this railway and shipped from the Port of Sept-Îles, then a deep-water seaport second in Canada only to Vancouver in terms of yearly tonnage. This huge engineering project led to a major population boom: from 2,000 inhabitants in 1951 to 14,000 in 1961, and 31,000 in 1981.
However, the decline in worldwide iron ore prices has since caused employment and population to shrink. A moderately successful attempt was made to revive the town during the early nineties, with the foundation of the Aluminerie Alouette aluminum processing plant. Construction for Phase 1 began in September 1989, and operation started in 1992. Construction of Phase 2 began in 2003.